Odisha: Government hospitals go online

BHUBANESWAR: Patients can now register online and view as well as download their individual electronic health records through web portal or mobile application. The State Government on Friday launched Odisha e-Hospital Management Information System (OeHMIS) with technical support from Noida-based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) for an online database of clinical parameters of patients in all State-run hospitals.

The online database of patients will have diagnostic reports, prescription details and advice suggested by different specialists.

An MoU for OeHMIS project was signed between Health and Family Welfare Department and CDAC in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Secretariat here.

A joint venture, the project will provide a computerised platform for online recording of patient’s clinical data and reporting of performance criteria of hospitals. It will help improve efficiency and reduce paper work through automation of processes.

The new innovative data management system will initially be introduced in Capital Hospital and SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack on pilot basis before its State-wide roll-out in phases.
Health Minister Pratap Jena said `14.16 crore has been allocated in the State Budget for implementation of the project and it will be completed within two years.

“The online system will promote rational prescription of medicines and ease the  process of prescription audit. It will facilitate monitoring and review of performance of public health facilities and can also be used as an analytical tool for framing policies and programmes of the State,” he informed.

A patient’s medical history, including medications and medical reports, will be stored in OeHMIS for easy access and processing for logistics and  prognosis of future complications. It has been designed in such a manner that the doctors and care-givers can monitor the patients in real time through the data stored in the server.

The initiative is part of the Chief Minister’s call for officials to follow 3Ts - teamwork, transparency and technology to improve efficiency of the governance for delivering public services.
Earlier, the Health and Family Welfare Department had introduced various e-health initiatives including e-Niramaya, e-blood bank, Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (e-VIN) with focus on citizen centric approach to ensure transparency and improve service delivery.