Tripura's digital healthcare model earns national acclaim in Kolkata review meeting

Kolkata/Agartala, Nov 5 (IANS) Tripura's achievements in strengthening public healthcare infrastructure and expanding digital health services received widespread appreciation at the National Review Meeting on Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), officials said on Thursday. 

Organised by the National Health Authority (NHA) in Kolkata, at the two-day meeting (on November 5 and 6), Tripura's Health and Family Welfare Secretary Kiran Gitte highlighted the state's achievements in healthcare delivery, particularly its model civil hospitals and digital health initiatives, along with the state government's future action plans. 

The meeting was attended by senior health officials from various states and Union Territories, including Sharad Kumar Dwivedi, CEO of the State Health Agency and Secretary of the West Bengal Department of Health and Family Welfare, and Kiran Gopal Bhaskar, Joint Secretary of the National Health Authority. 

A senior health official in Agartala said that through a detailed presentation, Tripura showcased the operational framework of its model civil hospitals and the progress made in implementing digital healthcare services. 

The initiatives and achievements presented by the state received appreciation from the participants. 

The state's progress in this sector reflects the vision and guidance of Chief Minister Manik Saha, who has been emphasising the strengthening and modernisation of healthcare services in Tripura, the official said. 

Chief Minister Saha also holds the Health and Family Welfare portfolio. 

Addressing the meeting, Tripura Health and Family Welfare Secretary Kiran Gitte said the state government was working towards the complete digitisation of healthcare services. 

As part of this initiative, the Department of Health and Family Welfare has implemented an Integrated Health Management Information System (IHMIS), bringing all government hospitals in the state under a common digital platform. 

Tripura has already achieved 100 per cent coverage of its public healthcare institutions under the IHMIS, Gitte said. 

He said that the state has also set a target of bringing private healthcare institutions under the system within the next two months, with the ultimate objective of making healthcare facilities fully digital and paperless. 

Highlighting the success of the initiative, he cited Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Agartala Civil Hospital as an example of a fully digital healthcare facility. 

The hospital has been functioning as a paperless institution since its inception. 

Patients can access the entire range of services digitally, from OPD registration and token generation to admission, prescriptions, medicine dispensing and laboratory testing. 

He also announced that all government hospitals across Tripura would transition to fully paperless operations from November 10, eliminating manual and paper-based procedures in healthcare service delivery. 

To provide an opportunity to witness the state's digital healthcare transformation firsthand, the CEO of the National Health Authority and the Tripura Health Secretary have formally invited officials and representatives attending the national review meeting to visit Tripura. 

The initiative is expected to further strengthen Tripura's efforts towards building an integrated, technology-driven and patient-friendly healthcare system. 

G. Sharath Naik, CEO of Ayushman Bharat (Tripura) and State Mission Director of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, also addressed the gathering.

--IANS

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