IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Started by Saurav Bhaik and Ankit Sinha in 2013, Gurugram startup Tagbin aims to provide a free solution for governments to help in contact-tracing.

As the first cases of the novel coronavirus started to emerge from Wuhan, China, followed by the WHO declaring the COVID-19 disease as a pandemic, the human race has joined hands in multiple ways to fight it.

Closer home, in India, the emergency is being combatted and contained by a countrywide lockdown, which on Tuesday has been extended to May 3 from April 15.

The new service is aimed at taking healthcare services to the 3-4 million people living in remote habitations in the state and who are out of reach of existing services, said Balaji Utla, CEO, HMRI.

Once established, the system would be replicated in six other states in the country, depending on the need and feasibility, he said in an interaction with reporters here today.

The medical colleges will work as resource centres and government hospitals will be attached to them. Besides, special facilities for treatment of heart diseases, cancer and other serious ailments would also be developed at medical colleges. Another benefit of this network will be tele-continuing medical education (CME) under the project which is to be launched soon.

“Ministry intends to set up a mechanism to monitor and evaluate implementation of and adherence to EHR standards and guidelines by various healthcare practitioners and vendors, thus we need to have an e-health authority which will be the regulator and which will see that EHR standards are being adhered to,” said Mr Verma while inaugurating an ASSOCHAM national summit on ‘ICT in Healthcare: Changing Dimensions of Healthcare in India.’

Healthcare companies are increasingly using technology to connect patients and their families with experts on their panels via online portals they have set up. But getting a second opinion is only one of a host of we-based healthcare and medical services that are now available online. Portals like navayush.com save your diagnostic reports online, help you order your medicines, offer personalised health coaching, monitor your health parameters such as blood sugar levels and even send you alerts and reminders about your medication.

Most discussions on Indian healthcare invariably reveal the elephant in the room and bring home the reality that there are still two Indias. Even more paradoxical may be the fact that while India and its brilliant minds are powering the technology revolution throughout the world, large percentages of our population remain untouched by digital, and were it not for the vision of initiatives like NITI Aayog, might have been left behind.

In 2016, the government called on all of us – healthcare providers, technologists, and media specialists – all stakeholders who could help expedite and promote the widest possible digitization of our nation and the onboarding of hundreds of millions of Indian citizens into the “cadres of the connected”.

The Cyberabad Digital Health Declaration said the industry will strive to make eHealth an integral part of the healthcare delivery system.

The declaration has come at the second day of two international healthcare meets on IT in healthcare and patient safety.

With vast amounts of medical data generated each year, many small and medium-sized healthcare enterprises are opting for cloud technology to store, access and share data, to reduce operational costs and increase efficiency.

Unlike large super-speciality hospitals that have in-house technology for managing data, SMEs in the healthcare space – mainly 25-50-bed hospitals – are opting for cloud technology.

The HMRI, which is partnered with state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Assam to enhance healthcare delivery systems in the respective states, was already approached by the state governments of Karnataka, Kerala and Goa in order to launch their service. However, it has not yet set any time frame for the expansion of their service in these three states. It is also learnt that many other states have also approached the institute for launching their service.

Shikha was diagnosed with diabetes at the young age of 35 in 2005. Every time she visited the diabetologist for treatment, she had to carry all her prescriptions and reports from the previous visit. Not that it really bothered her, but she was always worried that some vital information with respect to her condition or line of treatment may have been missed out.

Smart cities are leveraging their smart solutions in responding to this emergency situation. Here's how.

The 100 smart cities mission program, initiated by the Government of India, envisioned the participating cities adopting smart solutions to improve citizen service delivery and consequently their quality of living. As part of their smart city plans, many cities have focused on leveraging technology in the areas of citizen engagement, traffic management, safety & security, emergency response, healthcare management, etc. For ensuring a coordinated management of these various components, the cities have set up integrated command and control centres (ICCC). Presently, around 451 cities have operational ICCCs which has been set up under the 100 smart cities mission.

The first of such kiosks was set up at Chausala in Haryana last month. The CSIR had got the 12th Five-Year Plan mandate to carry out the Rs 50-crore e-health plan in the country.

Addressing a conference on healthcare organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Pitroda said existing healthcare infrastructure, especially in rural area, needed to be improved.

This discussion at the 17th edition of the Express Technology Sabha, emphasised on the government’s proposed health policy.

The Union government has stressed on telemedicine, tele-education and training for medical professionals, all these the priority areas for bringing change across the entire healthcare sector.

The law, according to sources in the health ministry, was necessitated by the fact that interoperable electronic health records (EHR) are a key component of Digital India, as envisaged by the Prime Minister.

In what may be the first sector specific law on privacy, the health ministry has roped in the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, to draft a law guaranteeing right to privacy and confidentiality of medical information.

Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) for Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) was recently launched in Manipur.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Langpoklakpam Jayantakumar Singh launched the programme in presence of Principal Secretary (Health) Vumlunmang Vaulnum and Director (Health Services) Dr K Rajo Singh at the South Block of the State Secretariat here.

The global pandemic has highlighted the interconnectivity between individuals and the impact of community well-being on individual health. However, our health systems have predominantly focused on individual needs. An emerging trend that is likely to gain momentum is the concept of smart cities, which involves integrating public health and well-being into urban design while addressing the underlying factors that influence health outcomes: social, environmental, and economic determinants.

Next-generation smart city healthcare development relies on sophisticated interconnectivity as a fundamental element. By leveraging data and digital connectivity, a smart city can revolutionize healthcare delivery. Integration and interoperability across various essential services such as public safety, housing quality, environmental health, social services, emergency services, and transportation can make healthcare smarter. This is where the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) plays a significant role.

The project has been funded under National Rural Health Mission J&K for managing healthcare service delivery in public hospitals and to maintain healthcare standards, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Shabir Ahmad Khan said after launching the services.

The Government Medical College, Jammu & Associated Hospitals has started working to implement ‘National Digital Health Mission’ program of Government of India wherein ‘e-Hospitals’ will provide various online services to the patients such as onlilne OPD appointment, viewing of lab reports, status of availability of blood in blood banks etc. The same is being planned to be rolled out in GMC and AHs Jammu.

Dr. Shashi Sudhan Sharma, Principal Government Medical College Jammu today chaired a meeting regarding the roll out of On Line Registration System (ORS) and Implementation of Hospital Information Management System (e-Hospital).

Government is introducing telemedicine service in the capital district of Srinagar and consultations with concerned agencies are currently underway.

The proposed service is a part of the Srinagar Smart City project one important component of which is introduction of smart healthcare in Srinagar.

Under the proposed service all hospitals and health institutions in the district will be connected to each other through a trusted and round-the-clock satellite-based networking channel and enable remote clinical services like diagnosis and monitoring of patients.