The Medical Education Department has announced that the long-pending Health Management Information System (HMIS), which had been stuck for several months, will be launched by mid-May. With its implementation, medical colleges across the state, including Mumbai, will go paperless. Officials claim that the system will significantly save time for both doctors and patients.
The National Medical Council has made it mandatory to implement HMIS in all government and BMC-run medical colleges. The Medical Education Department approved the system’s rollout across its institutions in July 2023. The state government allocated ₹269.50 crore for the implementation of HMIS in hospitals. Unlike earlier instances where private companies were given the responsibility, this time the task was assigned to the government agency, National Informatics Centre (NIC).
However, the process faced setbacks in January when a shortage of computers and printers was identified. Following a tender process, 2,807 computers and 504 printers were purchased. Yet, progress was halted due to the lack of approval for LAN and internet connectivity.
“We expect to receive the necessary approvals within a week. Broadband connections and LAN infrastructure will be completed within a month. Work is actively underway to launch HMIS in hospitals within the next 1 to 1.5 months,” Rajiv Nivatkar, Commissioner, Medical Education and Drugs Department, told NBT.
What is the HMIS System?
Under the HMIS system, a patient’s registration is done digitally upon arrival at the hospital, and they are assigned a unique ID. When consulting with a doctor, the patient’s medical history and prescriptions are recorded in the system. This effectively creates a digital database of the patient, accessible anytime from anywhere with just a click.
Benefits for Patients and Doctors
The HMIS system streamlines the hospital visit process, saving valuable time for both patients and doctors. Once a patient is registered and assigned a unique ID, their records — including blood tests, X-rays, and other reports — are available instantly for follow-up visits. What typically takes 10–12 minutes in the traditional method is reduced to just 4–5 minutes with HMIS.
Additionally, HMIS will help build a comprehensive database of patients’ health records, enabling the health department to identify disease trends and formulate treatment and prevention strategies accordingly.
