Evaluate proposal for Ayushman Bharat Kendras in Govt Hospitals: Delhi HC tells Govt

In a related development, the High Court has given the green signal for the implementation of the NextGen eHospital system developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) across all 43 hospitals operated by the Delhi government, reports the Times of India. This digital system is tailored for managing emergency services, including tasks like patient admission, bed occupancy, medical record maintenance, and comprehensive in-patient care. The decision followed a review by the AIIMS director, who assessed various proposals for digitising emergency care and managing a central command-and-control centre.

The court recorded AIIMS' recommendation to introduce Ayushman Bharat Kendras not only on its premises but also in other Delhi hospitals. Officials from AIIMS described the initiative as a positive step and urged the Delhi government’s health department to expedite the implementation of the Prime Minister-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). This includes setting up nine critical care blocks, 11 integrated public health laboratories, and upgrading a dozen mohalla clinics into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, reports the Daily.

Regarding the broader rollout of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), the court was informed that Delhi has formally adopted the scheme through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Union Ministry of Health. "Let the scheme be fully implemented, and if any further directions are required, the same may be sought by filing an application," the bench said.

A special bench comprising Justices Prathiba M Singh and Manmeet PS Arora approved the NIC software, marking a key development in the digital transformation of hospital emergency departments. Previously, the court had instructed both NIC and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to present their in-patient department (IPD) systems for AIIMS' evaluation to support the rollout of a unified Health Management Information System (HMIS).

These developments are part of the court’s ongoing oversight of healthcare infrastructure reforms in the capital, initiated as a suo motu case in 2017. As part of this effort, a panel led by Dr. S.K. Sarin was constituted to address gaps in ICU facilities and ventilator availability in government hospitals. The committee's findings revealed widespread deficiencies, including staff vacancies, a lack of essential medical personnel, shortages in medical supplies, inadequate trauma care, and an ineffective referral system.

Expressing concern over the state of the city’s health system, the court previously observed that "all is not well" and criticised the ongoing internal disputes among authorities. It subsequently entrusted the AIIMS director with the responsibility of steering the implementation of recommended reforms.