Enhancing Access to Quality Healthcare for All through Digitization

BHAVYA: Bihar Health Application Visionary Yojana for All

The adoption of digital services has increased significantly since the roll-out of 4G in India, particularly in the banking and finance sector, which has used digital technologies to improve efficiency and provide better quality services to its customers. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has facilitated a smooth digital transformation of the banking and financial sectors, resulting in a decrease in in-person banking and an increase in digital transactions outside of banks premises. The travel industry has also embraced digital innovation, with most flight and train ticket bookings being done online. Other sectors have also experienced success with digital adoption, but the healthcare sector has been slower to adopt digital technologies due to various challenges and contradictions. While there have been some instances of vertical automation in the healthcare sector since 2010, it lacks a comprehensive digital ecosystem. However, the rapid transition from fixed lines to cell phones in the telecom sector serves as an example of how disruptive thinking can transform an entire industry and prepare it for the future while addressing past deficits. Similarly, the healthcare sector has the potential to leverage technology to improve diagnostic capabilities, simplify systems, and deliver services digitally, which would reduce the number of patient visits to healthcare facilities, just as the adoption of digital technologies has done in other sectors. This could also involve the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in data interpretation and early warning systems for disease outbreaks.

Early success of digitally enabled health service has huge potential to improve the delivery of healthcare services in India, and rightly so government is taking steps to further digitize the sector through initiatives such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and roll out of Unified Health Interface (UHI) like UPI to support and facilitate entire health eco-system in the country. These efforts will not only benefit citizens by providing them with more convenient and efficient access to healthcare, but also help reduce workload for healthcare professionals and provide valuable data for policy makers to better plan and allocate resources. It should be noted that while technology can be a powerful tool in improving healthcare, it is only one aspect of the overall healthcare system. Therefore, other factors such as infrastructure, sufficient funding, human resources, adequate training, and change management should also be addressed simultaneously to create a truly effective, futuristic and sustainable healthcare system.

Bihar State Health System Digitization project has been conceived on the learnings of current and past health sector projects of funding agencies and development partners with department of health, GoB such as DFID, UK supported Health sector reform program (2010-2016), BMGF, Care India, Path, JHPIEGO, UNICEF, WHO, UNDP, Piramal Swasthya and others, which is crucial for the success of any large-scale initiative.

Under this project BHAVYA-HIMS will be implemented in Bihar, a comprehensive and integrated approach to manage healthcare services to connect all health facilities and train healthcare professionals to use the system to ensure that it is widely adopted and used effectively. The integration of existing apps will also help streamline various processes and improve efficiency. Storing data on the cloud is a smart move as it avoids the need for physical servers and makes it easier to access and share data. The system also includes features such as a citizen portal, command & Control Centre, performance management system, and data analysis capabilities, which will help enhance the overall quality and effectiveness of healthcare delivery. Overall, BHAVYA-HIMS system has the potential to significantly improve healthcare service delivery in Bihar with robust security framework to protect data.

It is encouraging that the project is fully complementary to the national Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and that it is being implemented in an innovative and futuristic manner. It will be interesting to see how the project progresses and the impact it has on the delivery of healthcare services in Bihar. The project needs to be carefully evaluated and monitored to ensure that it is meeting its intended goals and making a positive difference for citizens and healthcare professionals of the state.

 


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