India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is relaunching this week the health management information system for the Central Government Health Scheme.
The CGHS provides comprehensive healthcare for current and retired employees of the central government.
The MOHFW decommissioned the outdated CGHS HMIS last week, which had been used since 2005 and could not meet modern IT standards, cybersecurity frameworks, and user expectations. The HMIS helps manage user registration, application, grievance redressal, and information retrieval.
WHY IT MATTERS
Replacing it is a “next-generation” HMIS developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing. Based on a media release, it will “enable faster, more transparent, and user-friendly accessibility of CGHS services, [ensuring] improved service delivery and administrative efficiency.”
The upgraded HMIS is expected to create a unique PAN-based identifier for each CGHS beneficiary to eliminate record duplication and streamline user verification.
It will automate the verification of contribution payments via its integration with Bharat Kosh and enable the verification and approval of CGHS card applications before payment.
The new system also digitises services such as CGHS card transfer and change in dependent status and category. Additionally, it can generate SMS and email alerts at every CGHS application stage.
Along with the HMIS upgrade, the CGHS mobile application on iOS and Android systems has also been revamped; it now introduces a new user interface, provides access to digital cards and real-time application status, enables e-referrals and appointment scheduling, and integrates communications with the help desk.
THE LARGER TREND
Over the past years, there have been several digital transformation projects developing hospital or health information systems/HMIS for the Indian health system. Delhi, for example, worked on a $20 million project in 2021 to build a territory-wide HMIS for public hospitals and healthcare settings.
In 2023, the National Health Authority announced a beta testing of a HMIS for private clinics and small health facilities.
While the efforts to digitise health information management have been recognised, there is still a need to integrate these siloed systems, Union Health secretary Apurva Chandra said, to further reduce administrative burden and ensure timely access to health and medical information.
