State mulls to put in place ‘system’ to access patient data of pvt hosps

KOLKATA: The state government is planning to introduce a ‘health monitoring information system (HMIS)’ in private hospitals by which the Health department will be able to access patient-related data, including the medication they take and the types of ailments they have been suffering from.

The patients who will undergo treatment at private hospitals with various ailments, including hypertension, sugar, and cholesterol will be accessible to state Health department data.

Virtual mode of sharing the data has been started in some of the government-run hospitals. In the future, both the government and private hospitals will have to upload data on the HMIS portal of the Health department, every month. There will be 900 types of parameters that have to be filled up by hospitals while treating patients.

One of the objectives of the move is to check unnecessary referral of patients by hospitals and also to ensure that no patient faces difficulties while getting admission to government hospitals. The state Health department has given the utmost emphasis on the ‘e-filing’ of patients’ data on Swasthya Bhawan’s portal by hospitals. It would be a centralised system that will maintain the patients’ data. Another objective of the move is to keep a direct tab on the activities of hospitals.

The department has already directed principals of various medical colleges to upload patient-related information on the department’s portal in case of a transfer. The medical colleges and hospitals have to furnish on the portal the details as to why the patient is transferred and where the person has been referred to. Some details about the patient’s treatment will also need to be uploaded.The hospitals will also upload the number of ambulances or vehicles which are taking the patient to the other hospital. All the principals of medical colleges have been asked to implement the directives on an emergency basis. A senior official of the rank of the assistant superintendent will be the designated officer in each medical college who will coordinate the programme. The assistant superintendent will also ensure that the patient is secured regarding admission to another hospital in case of a transfer.

Till now, in the case of patients’ referral, the hospital which is referring to the patient does not mention the name of the other hospital where the patient will go. As a result, the patients and their family members often face difficulties while getting admission. As per the new directives of the Health department, the hospitals will also have to upload information on the portal about the critical surgeries

they undertake.