Lok Sabha Question No. 2872 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-12-02
Subject: Online Prescription
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: BHOLA SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2872 TO BE ANSWERED ON 2 ND DECEMBER, 2016

## ONLINE PRESCRIPTION

## 2872. SHRI BHOLA SINGH:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Government has taken any steps to improve the system of prescription online; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL )

(a) & (b): Yes. Public  health  being  a  State  subject,  primary  responsibility  to  provi healthcare  services  to  citizens  lies  with  State/UT  governments.  However,  under National Health Mission (NHM) support is being provided to States/UTs for strengthening their hea care delivery system based on the requirements posed by them in Programme Implementation Plan (PIP).

Following steps have been taken to improve the system of prescription online :

- i. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare notified the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Standards for India in August 2013. The EHR Standards include standards for Diseas Classification, Medicine and Clinical term inology, Laboratory Data exchange, Digital Imaging  and  Communication,  unique  identifiers  for  patients - preferably  linked  to Aadhaar etc. for interoperability.
- ii. Computerization  of  District/Sub - district  hospitals &  Community  Health  Centres (CHCs)  to  implemen t  the  Hospital  Management  Information  System  (HMIS)  for creation of Electronic Health Record and online prescription is being undertaken phased  manner  with  the  p urpose  of  better  delivery  of  services  to  patients  and improvement in efficiency of process es at hospitals/ health care institutions. Financial support  has  been  provided  to  Chandigarh,  Himanchal  Pradesh,  Jammu  &  Kashmir, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu during the current year.
- iii. Online  Registration System  (ORS)  is  being  implemented  in  various  hospitals  in States/UTs and Central Govt. Hospital/Institutes to provide online registration, appointment services to citizens along with online viewing of medical reports on O portal  by  citizens.  So  fa r  it  has  been  implemented  in  more  than  56  State/  central Government Hospitals.
- iv. Under  National  Telemedicine  Network  scheme  Primary  Health  Centres(PHC)/CHCs providing  primary  healthcare  facilities  &  District/  Sub  District  hospitals  prov secondary  hea lthcare  facilities  are  being  interlinked  with  the  Medical  Colleges  a Super Speciality Hospitals providing tertiary  healthcare facilities for providing -Consultation & Tele - Follow - up services with specialist through on - line prescription/ e -Prescriptio n  with the purpose of reaching out to rural & remote areas. Financial supp has been provided to Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tripura during the current year.
- v. Recognition  to  medicine  prescriptions  through  telemedicine  call  centres  is  un consideration of the Medical Council of India.
- vi. National eHealth Authority is being set up as a statutory body for promotion/adoption of eHealth standards, to enforce privacy & security measures for electronic health and to regulate storage & exchange of Electron ic Health Records.