Rural E-Health Infrastructure Development - E-Healthcare Systems and Wireless Communications - page 192

6.2. eHealth and Individual
Record Systems

the India Government 12 offer a national view. The
official outreach site to citizens is Healthy India 13 .

Public Health Structure There is more than one eHealth initiative in India

over the years, e.g. Health Management Informa-
tion System (HMIS) 17 , Drug Logistics Informa-
tion & Management System (DLIMS) 18 , Routine
Immunization Monitoring System (RIMS) 19 ,
District Health Information System (DHIS) 20 , and
Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) 21 .
The Mother and Child Tracking System (e-
Mamta) 22 , is a national system operated in Gujarat
by the Health and Family Welfare Department. It
has been running in hardcopy format for around
18 months (as of July 2010), and in electronic
format since around two months.

The above primarily regulates the Public health-
care system in India. Each district in the country
has a District (Civil) Hospital, under which Com-
munity Health Centers (CHCs) are associated
with each administrative area (or taluka). There
are a number of Primary Health Centers (PHCs)
under a CHC, and subsequently sub-centers under
each PHC.
Primary Health Centers 14 are the cornerstone
of rural healthcare. PHCs and their sub-centers
are supposed to meet the health care needs of ru-
ral population. Each PHC covers a population of
100,000 and is spread over about 100 villages. A
Medical Officer, Block Extension Educator, one
female Health Assistant, a compounder, a driver
and laboratory technician look after the PHC. It
is equipped with a jeep and necessary facilities
to carry out small surgeries.
With a well-defined structure and scenario cur-
rently reported for rural healthcare system15, it is
reported that PHCs have difficulties performing
their assigned tasks. The issue with rural healthcare
is not only healthcare services but also education
and awareness amongst the population of issues
such as sanitation, vaccination, etc.

Multipurpose National Identity Card

The Multipurpose National Identity Card (MNIC)
project is an initiative of the Indian government
to create a national ID for every Indian citizen
with the objective of increasing national security,
managing citizen identity and facilitating e-gov-
ernance. The Unique Identification Authority of
India (UIDAI) 23 was established in February 2009,
attached to the planning commission. The purpose
of the UIDAI is to issue a unique identification
number to all the Indian residents that are robust
enough to eliminate duplicity and forgery in an
easy and effective way.

Private Health Structure

eMamta and Individual Records

Private healthcare sector in India includes trust-
run hospitals, and commercial hospitals. The
sector remains largely self regulating, although
accreditation is possible via the National Accredi-
tation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers
(NABH) 16 - a constituent board of Quality Council
of India, set up to establish and operate accredita-
tion programs for healthcare organizations.

The Mother and Child Tracking System (e-Mam-
ta) 24 , is a national system operated in Gujarat by
the Health and Family Welfare Department. It has
been running in hardcopy format for around 18
months (as of July 2010), and in electronic format
since around two months.

• A mother is asked to fill in a Healthcare

Registration card (original in Gujarati