Karnataka to soon have health register of all citizens

The Karnataka government on Wednesday said it would soon launch a project to maintain the health database of all its citizens by having a "State Health Register." A first of its kind initiative, the State Health Register will be a robust and standardized health repository of all the citizens, an official release said.

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This project will be implemented first in Chikkaballapur district on an experimental basis. "The COVID-19 experience has demonstrated the necessity of having a robust, real-time public health data and therefore, there is a need to maintain a repository of health data of each and every citizen," Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar was quoted as saying in the release.

The government would undertake a survey of all 6.5 crore people in the state using a team of Primary Health Centre officials, revenue officials, education department staff and ASHA (Accredited Social Heath Activist) karyakartas, he said.

They will visit each household and collect health data of all members of the family, he said, adding that this would not only help the government provide better health care, but also help efficient resource allocation, management and better implementation of various citizen-centric schemes in the state.

Stating that the government's vision is to provide world class health care to all citizens, for which accurate data is needed, Sudhakar said the health register is a futuristic project which has been taken up in the interest of the people.

The project will include 50 per cent partnership of private hospitals. "The data collected will help us to prioritise healthcare based on geography, demography and other targeted measures," he said. Sudhakar said Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has extended support for the project and added that detailed discussions would be held in this regard in the coming cabinet meeting.