Data-driven Diagnosis

Health-related data is critical for a healthy existence. The evolution of technology has made this task easier. In this context, the initiative taken in Dadra and Nagar Haveli to capture health screening data from the last two academic years through the use of technology is a commendable one. This is being accomplished through the Digital School Health Programme.

The Digital School Health Programme is designed to streamline health services, providing an integrated platform for healthcare professionals, including field-level functionaries and officials of the Education Department and Women & Child Development Department, to manage their responsibilities more efficiently. With its user-friendly interface and integration with other national health programmes, it has significantly improved child healthcare management, the referral system, and follow-up. This initiative fosters a data-driven, proactive healthcare model that empowers educators, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to customise national programmes based on priority.

Health records in manual form posed many challenges. Such records were not maintained properly; the data collected was inaccurate, insufficient, and was never linked with the HMIS. The exercise of entering data was repeated in new manual forms, with no relation to the previous year’s data. Referrals and follow-ups remained incomplete. The data captured by the Health Department was rarely shared with the Education Department, WCD, or even parents. The parents of schoolchildren were never involved in the entire process. Sharing the data with national portals used to be difficult, and there wasn’t any support in making policy interventions.

The Digital School Health Programme was implemented through a structured, multi-phase approach. In the first phase, the digital health portal/app was designed to capture comprehensive health data comprising the 4 Ds (Diseases, Defects at birth, Deficiency, Developmental Delay) during the screening of all children aged 0-18 years. In the second phase, integration with HMIS and national portals of Health Departments, UDISE of the Education Department, and Poshan Tracker of the Women & Child Development Department was taken up for seamless data consolidation.

The programme portal was developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The target beneficiaries were children aged 0–18 years who attend anganwadis and schools. Training and capacity building of all healthcare professionals, including field-level functionaries, was conducted along with staff from the Education Department and Women & Child Development Department. ABHA IDs were created for the entire target group, and unique reference numbers for children were generated to ensure no child missed health screening even when transferring from one school to another. A real-time dashboard enabled tracking of interventions and was made available to all concerned departments for ensuring referrals and follow-ups.

Separate logins were created for all stakeholders from the three departments and also for parents. Logins for medical officers, field-level functionaries of the Health Department like ANMs, ASHAs, and concerned Medical Officers of their respective jurisdictions were created, along with similar logins for school teachers and anganwadi workers. Similarly, data on Anaemia-Mukt Bharat and IFA tablets are being updated on the portal on a real-time basis.

The key highlights are:

• 100 per cent screening of children aged 0–18 years is done, and the data is captured digitally.

• The entire anthropometric data (height, weight, and BMI) and 4Ds is on the portal and is accessible to policymakers and field-level functionaries of the health, education, and social welfare departments.

• Individual health cards can be digitally downloaded and shared with the parents.

• Separate logins for parents, teachers, and all the field-level functionaries of the health department have been created.

• The ABHA ID has been generated for all children aged 0-18 years.

• The digital health programme portal has been integrated with the UDISE portal so that no child is left out, even if she gets transferred from one school to another.

• The digital health programme portal has been integrated with HMIS and also with the national portals of the health department for seamless data transfer.

The programme ensured effective screening and identification of unhealthy children in the age group of 0–18 years. All unhealthy children were referred to respective institutions. This helped in early intervention and treatment. More than 95 per cent of the referred cases have been cured, while the remaining 5 per cent are currently undergoing treatment. The programme resulted in a significant decrease in the prevalence of malnutrition, proving the effectiveness of digital health interventions. There is a significant drop in malnutrition cases (around 80 per cent among SAM and MAM cases) compared to 2023. Early identification, complete referral, and regular follow-up helped in treating more than 95 per cent of 4D cases. The entire loop of child health management is tracked digitally. Integration with HMIS and national portals has further helped in the management of child health.

The Digital School Health Programme successfully bridged the communication gap between three departments: Education, WCD, and Health, ensuring effective screening and early identification of the 0–18 years population. The initiative impacts almost one-third of the population by creating individual health data that can be retained over time. All stakeholders at different levels can access the data required for their respective roles, thereby ensuring the sustainability of the programme. Integration with ABHA ID, national health programmes, UDISE, and HMIS has helped in early intervention, referrals, and follow-up. A digital copy of the health data (health card) can be sent to the parents' mobile number and can also be downloaded from the portal using their login ID. This has helped the UT administration to customise health programmes as required and to effectively target the identified beneficiaries.

This wonderful initiative, under the leadership of the young IAS officer Arun T, can be easily replicated in the true spirit of the Nexus of Good through coordination among various stakeholders and public-private partnership.

The writer is an author and a former civil servant. Views expressed are personal