Samsung India has entered into a partnership with the Government of Karnataka to provide 1,000 Samsung Tab IRIS to the state Department of Health. The tablet, which has been approved by the UIDAI for Aadhaar and KYC verification, will enable Public Health Centers (PHC) in the state to build a digital database.
The initiative is aimed at increasing the efficiency of the system through a central consolidated database about patient treatment, diagnosis, deliveries and drug availability from various locations along with GPS information. The tab itself is SIM enabled and is capable of scanning the iris of a user, which can be verified via Aadhaar.
The government mentions that it will soon launch virtual clinics with specialists on board to connect patients through these tablets. The health records of the patients will also be analyzed online to help patients take preventive measure for any underlying issues. Additionally, the PHCs will have information on various welfare schemes such as post-natal care kit for BPL/SC/ST women, Janani Suraksha Yojana etc., stored in databases for anyone to access. This will also provide information support to the Government about the health of the citizens.
eHealth Authority: In December last year, the Government said it would set up a National eHealth Authority, responsible for enforcing privacy and security measures for electronic health data, and to regulate storage and exchange of Electronic Health Records (EHR). At the time, the government also said that an Online Registration System (ORS) for patients has been implemented in 56 state and central government hospitals. The ORS platform allows hospitals and institutes to provide online registration and online appointment services to patients, while letting patients view medical reports online.
