BBMP launches health portal to record patients’ details

The BBMP on Thursday launched a web portal to maintain data of patients treated at Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) maintained by the Palike.

Launching the portal, Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said digital documentation of patient data will help the administration address medical emergencies.

Developed by the firm United Way of Bengaluru, the portal will be operational in all UPHCs.

“The recorded information includes patients visiting UPHCs, their past medical records, and details of comorbid conditions (pertaining to Covid-19),” Narayan explained. “Besides these, laboratory reports and medical prescriptions related to the patient’s ailments will also be recorded at the portal with a unique ID.”

Nearly 1,200 personnel serving with the BBMP, including Accredited Social Health Activists (Asha) and Junior Health Assistants, will be given tabs (portable tablet devices) to upload the data after they interact with the patients.

“We are even looking to recruit additional health personnel in the city limits,” the deputy chief minister added.

BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said the project will benefit the 63 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) under the Bengaluru Urban and Rural zilla panchayat jurisdiction and 141 PHCs under the BBMP. “Patients visiting the PHCs will have their health details uploaded to the portal,” he said.

The civic body has synced the software it has been using to document Covid-19 cases in the city, enabling comprehensive documentation of Bengalureans' health details.

Absence of such a database had frustrated the civic body during the initial days of its fight against coronavirus. The state government and the civic body had to launch a door-to-door survey to identify SARI and ILI cases, besides other comorbid conditions.

“Had we maintained the database regularly, it would have been easier to identify patients and isolate them for supervision. We have learnt a lesson and launched the portal to record the health details of the citizens, which will help us in future,” said a BBMP health official.

Prasad said the portal will also help timely extraction of data related to Covid-19 surveillance, managing the containment zones, treatment, managing fever clinics, and Covid-19 testing process on a real-time basis whenever necessary.