“A significant steps towards Digital India and for easy access of health services to the common man”: Shri J P Nadda

Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched two major Digital initiatives to provide easy access to health services to the public: GIS-enabled HMIS application and the self-printing of e-CGHS cards, here today. Launching these initiatives of the Health Ministry, the Union Minister stated that the Health Ministry remains committed to strengthening public health systems and providing user-friendly health services in the country. He further stated that that this will provide a tremendous opportunity to further strengthen and enhance the reach of key interventions.

Terming these as significant and forward looking steps contributing to Digital India, Shri J P Nadda said: “The initiative will not only monitor the performance and quality of the health services being provided under the NHM, but will also provide effective healthcare to the rural population throughout the country”. The GIS-enabled HMIS services will provide comprehensive data on a GIS platform on 1.6 lakh Government Health facilities spread across the country. The project has been developed with the objective of enabling the effective usage of the HMIS application, enhancing analytical capabilities of States/UTs and providing a geographical display of HMIS data using GIS. The application also has scope of incorporating map layers of roads and water bodies which will provide comprehensive information regarding health facilities and disease vulnerable areas of the country. At present, the application is available in login domain of HMIS portal. It is planned to put it in public domain in near future. Moreover, the mapping provides data only on public health facilities presently, which shall soon be expanded to cover private facilities also, the Union Minister informed.

Health Management Information System (HMIS) is a web-based monitoring system that has been put in place by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) to monitor its health programmes and provide key inputs for policy formulation and interventions. It was launched during October, 2008 with uploading of district consolidated figures. To make HMIS more robust and effective and in order to facilitate local level monitoring, “facility based reporting” was initiated since April, 2011. At present, 1.94 lakh health facilities (across all States/UTs) are uploading facility wise data on monthly basis on HMIS web portal. Data are presently being made available to various stakeholders in the form of standard & customized reports, factsheets, score- cards etc. HMIS data are widely used by the Ministry and States for policy planning, monitoring and supervision purpose.

The Union Health Minister, while launching the self-printing of the E-CGHS card, stated that this will provide ease and access to all those beneficiaries such as the pensioners who may find it difficult to go to the CGHS centres for renewal, and in the event of loss/misplacement of the card. As this can be printed from any location once the process of application based on authentic documents has been approved, this enables easy reprinting by the beneficiary himself/herself. The beneficiary can access this facility by visiting the CGHS portal at cghs.nic.in where simple steps for this have been enumerated.

Also present at the meeting were Shri B P Sharma, Secretary (HFW), and senior officers of the Health Ministry.

PIB

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The Union Health Ministry has allowed ‘birth companions’ during delivery in public health facilities, a unique step to reduce maternal mortality rate (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR) in the country.

The World Health Organization (WHO), which promotes labour companionship, says it is a core element of care for improving maternal and infant health.

India needs to follow the World Health Organisation, accordingly, Union Health Ministry says, husbands can now be by the side of their wives when their children are born, even in government hospitals.

With private hospitals allowing husbands to be with their wives during delivery, government hospitals have not lagged behind.

So, the Health and Family Welfare Ministry has decided to allow birth companions during deliveries in government hospitals.

Other than the husband, a female relative can be with the pregnant woman at the time of delivery.

TST

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S-11045/40 /2012/CGHS/HEC/CGHS (P)
Government of India
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
Department of Health & Family Welfare

Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi
Dated the 22nd February, 2013

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject : Regarding tests investigations at private hospitals / diagnostic laboratories / imaging centres empanelled under CGHS.

The undersigned is directed to refer to the Office Memorandum of even no. dated 1st January, 2013 on the above subject wherein it has been provided under Para 3 that the serving government employees / CGHS beneficiaries shall submit medical prescription in original while claiming reimbursement of expenses incurred on diagnostic tests and investigations, from their office. Keeping in view the inconvenience and difficulties faced by the serving employees / CGHS beneficiaries in submission of prescription in original, it has been decided to relax the above condition and to allow a self attested photocopy of the medical prescription to claim reimbursement of medical expenses incurred on getting diagnostic tests / investigations carried out from a CGHS empanelled hospital / diagnostic laboratory / imaging centre on a valid prescription issued by a CGHS Medical Officer / Govt. Specialist, without a permission letter issued from the Department concerned.

2.The Serving beneficiaries will not require any permission from their Department for getting the diagnostic tests / investigations carried out in a CGHS empanelled private hospital /diagnostic laboratory / imaging centre in respect of investigations for which CGHS rates are available. They will get the prescribed tests done on payment basis and claim reimbursement from their Office. However, the serving employees of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare are eligible for credit facility from the CGHS empanelled private hospitals / diagnostic laboratories and imaging centres in terms of this Ministry’s OM No. Rec.1- 008/Gr./CGHS/Delhi/CGHS (P) dated 10.06.2008.

3.The medical prescription issued by a CGHS Medical Officer / Government Specialist prescribing diagnostic tests / investigations shall be treated as valid for a single use within a period of two weeks from the date of prescription. However the medical prescription shall remain valid beyond two weeks for undertaking diagnostic tests / investigations if specifically prescribed by the CGHS doctor / Government Specialist about the date or period by which the prescribed tests are to be conducted for a routine check up or follow up treatment. The medical prescription would require revalidation or issue of a fresh prescription from the prescribing CGHS doctor/Government Specialist for getting the prescribed tests done after expiry of the validity period of two weeks or as prescribed by the CGHS doctor / Govt Specialist, as the case may be.

sd/-
[V.P..Singh]
Deputy Secretary to the Government of India

Source : www.msotransparent.nic.in/cghsnew/index.asp
[http://msotransparent.nic.in/writereaddata/cghsdata/mainlinkfile/File578.pdf]

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