New Delhi: Union health minister J P Nadda on Tuesday urged more hospitals to adopt digital technology to manage healthcare data.
He said this will help to ensure that patient’s information remains secure and easily accessible.
“Today, when patient data is transferred from one hospital to another, several challenges occur which include data security, interoperability, and accuracy of information,” the health minister said, in a virtual address to the patient safety conference organised by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH) on World Patient Safety Day. He added that govt is continuously making efforts to promote innovations and expand digital healthcare.
“We are utilising telemedicines and e-health services in remote areas where access to specialised medical experts is limited. This has proven to be life saving for patients ,” he said.
NABH, which establishes and operates accreditation programmes for healthcare institutions – has launched a new initiative under which it will set standards and guidelines for Hospital Information System (HIS) and Electronic Medical Record (EMR).
Rizwan Koita, chairman of NABH, told TOI that India’s first-ever digital health standards for hospitals was introduced in Sept 2023. “A total of 275 hospitals have applied for certification for digital health standards and 100 of them have received it. We are expecting more hospitals to come on board in future,” he said. Koita added that standardisation of HIS and EMR is another transformational exercise to help foster a more efficient and interconnected healthcare system.
NABH also announced the launch of E-Mitra Chatbot, Mitra Physical Centres, entry-level certifications, e-skilling modules and architects empanelment system. Jaxay Shah, chairperson, Quality Council of India said initiatives like these will make Indian healthcare more efficient, transparent, and patient-centric.
