With the outbreak of coronavirus, health officials of Karnataka have realised the need to have robust and real-time public health data. This is why the state government is soon going to launch a ‘State Health Register’ to maintain a health record of all its citizens.
Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar said that the health register will keep track of all health issues of the people living in the state.
“The initiative will be the first of its kind in the country as the proposed register will act as a robust and standardized health repository of 6.5 crore citizens. There is an urgent need to focus on better healthcare for all. The COVID-19 experience has demonstrated the need to have robust and real-time public health data,” the minister said.
He said this after a preliminary meeting with medical experts from both private and government hospitals. The meeting was held to discuss the nitty-gritty of the ambitious project.
The minister also confirmed that the project will be implemented on an experimental basis first in the state’s Chikkaballapur district. Education department staff, Primary Health Centre officials, revenue officials, and ASHA workers will conduct a door-to-door survey to collect health data from all the members of the family.
“The data will help the government to provide better health care, with efficient resource allocation, management, and better implementation of various citizen-centric schemes in the state,” said Sudhakar. He added that huge funds, manpower, and a blueprint will be required to conduct the massive exercise.
The minister emphasized that accurate data will be required to make this vision a reality. He also said that the futuristic project will see a 50% partnership of private hospitals.
“We will need the private sector to collate data, which will help us prioritise healthcare based on geography, demography and other targeted measures,” he explained.
He said that Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has assured all support for the project which will pave a way for providing world-class healthcare to every citizen.
Sudhakar also urged people of the state to adhere to lockdown guidelines, though it is been eased in some places.