Computerised patient records in Maharashtra govt hospitals by February

Just one computer per OPD in the four facilities that comprise the JJ Group of Hospitals has HMIS. File pic

The state's medical education department is expected to further expand the healthcare management information system (HMIS) next month in all 16 medical colleges. The system was shut down in 2022 following a legal dispute between the state authorities and the contractor over non-payment of dues worth crores. It was then partially resumed at JJ Hospital on a trial basis in November and then in December at other medical college hospitals in the state after the task of managing the system was transferred to the National Informatics Centre (NIC).

"We have completed the software onboarding and staff training. Its trial run is almost done. It will be fully operational by next month," said Medical Education Department Commissioner Rajeev Nivatkar. HMIS is a centralised system that maintains critical patient records. A unique identity number is assigned to each patient, enabling access to diagnostic details and treatment progress with a few clicks.

"So far, one computer per outpatient department has HMIS in all four facilities that comprise the JJ Group of Hospitals. Apart from that, we are still in manual mode," said Dr Pallavi Saple, dean, JJ Hospital. In the absence of this system, everything is done on pen and paper, taking 10 to 15 minutes per patient. Additional hardware required for HMIS is also in the process of being dispatched to hospitals, Nivatkar said. Similarly, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to implement HMIS in all its health facilities in the near future.

Currently, the software is available only at BYL Nair Hospital. A study conducted last year by TISS noted that manual documentation at Sion and KEM hospitals contributes to prolonged waiting periods and surgery cancellations.

2022
Year system was shut down