Jharkhand Gov Announces Digital Healthcare Services Across Sadar Hospitals

The proposed system will initially focus on Sadar hospitals across all districts, with a broader plan to bring other levels of public healthcare onto the same digital platform.

Jharkhand has taken a step towards making its public healthcare network more digitally connected, with the state government signing an MoU with Rodic Company to introduce digital and online services across Sadar hospitals.

Under the initiative, patients and attendants will be able to access information on doctors on duty, medicine availability, hospital facilities, and other essential resources through online platforms and digital boards.

The aim is to reduce the uncertainty patients often face when they arrive at a government hospital without knowing whether a particular doctor, medicine, or service is available.

The State Health Minister, Dr Irfan Ansari, said the initiative is intended to improve transparency and ensure that patients receive timely information.

Estimated at around INR 99 Cr, the project will be implemented in phases.

The planned digital network is expected to eventually cover primary health centres (PHCs), community health centres (CHCs), sub-divisional hospitals and medical colleges, creating a more connected information ecosystem across the state's public health infrastructure.

The platform is also expected to serve as a monitoring tool for health administrators.

Information on patient footfall, doctors' attendance, admissions and discharges, surgeries, and the availability of doctors and paramedical staff could provide officials with a clearer picture of hospital operations and resource availability.

Health Secretary Ajay Kumar said Jharkhand does not currently have such a system, although similar digital arrangements are operational in some other states.

The system could have particular value for patients travelling from rural areas to district hospitals.

Access to reliable information before or during a hospital visit could help reduce unnecessary waiting, repeated visits, and the need to move between multiple counters to obtain basic information.

The proposed system will initially focus on Sadar hospitals across all districts, with a broader plan to bring other levels of public healthcare onto the same digital platform.

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