Background

Technology plays a crucial role in transforming healthcare by improving patient care, enhancing operational efficiency, and reducing costs. By enabling more accurate diagnostics, real-time monitoring, and personalized treatment plans, technology helps healthcare professionals make better-informed decisions. Tools like electronic health records (EHRs) streamline patient information sharing, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring continuity of care, Telemedicine breaks down geographical barriers, making healthcare accessible to underserved populations, while wearable devices track vital signs and chronic conditions, allowing for early intervention. These technological interventions are just some of the examples that showcase, how technology can help improve the health systems.

With the aim of leveraging technology for the betterment and strengthening of the healthcare system, Primus Partners is working on a project with a state government to improve the quality of public health services; increase the utilization of an expanded scope of primary health care services; and build systems to make public health services more responsive to the population. Amongst several key results areas for the state government, at least seven areas have an IT and technology focus to enable a monitoring system for quality healthcare, supply chain management, patient management and service delivery at primary care level.

Our Approach

Primus Partner’s role in the said Technical Support Unit is primarily to provide technical, managerial support for smooth implementation and monitoring of the project. Overall technical support to the project includes support and liaison with the department in achieving all the defined result areas and achieve all the disbursement linked indicators towards strengthening health system of the state.  

The project focuses on these broad areas: 

• Quality assurance at public health facilities by meeting quality assurance standards and certifications 
• Assure Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and New-born Care services at Community Health Centres (CHCs) 
• Assure capacity building and change management program to all the facility staff at different levels; Training program includes the training specific the DLR and for the sharing the operational information of the developed IT system. 
• Assure high level of sanitation at CHCs. 
• Assured diagnostic services at primary care level health facilities 
• Strengthen pharmaceutical supply management at Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and CHCs 
• Establish integrated patient management system (HMIS) 
• Establish patient experience feedback mechanism and action 
• Increase number of Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) in the state and ensuring training program for all the associated staff of the health facilities 
• Strengthen and increase non-communicable diseases (NCDs) screening, treatment, referral and follow-ups. 
• Increase maternal care services and ante-natal check-ups coverage 

Outcome / Benefits

• All the public health institutions of the state have been covered under the project (approximately 1600 PHCs, CHCs, Area Hospitals, District Hospitals and Medical Colleges. Approximately 3000 Sub-Centres were converted into HWCs).
• Joint planning with National Health Mission (NHM) and other relevant directorates / agencies.  
• Reviewed Implementation methodology and defining project actionable, deliverables and milestones. 
• Assisted preparing of the Training programs and finalizing the training material.
• Assisted client in monitoring the capacity building and change management program at different levels of health facilities. 
• Solution design and architecture for technology implementation including e-Aushudhi, Online patient management system, patient feedback system etc.  
• Planned IT interventions, technical requirements related to design & development, customization of IT systems (Integrated E-HR, Quality Tracking Dashboard, Public Grievances, etc.) and coordination in implementation across the state. 
• Assisting the department in strengthening Bio Medical Equipment management system by identifying a capable vendor for providing the services and by helping to set up a project management unit for the same.
• Assisted state in stabilizing the Tele-consultation in Health and Wellness centre which will be very helpful especially for the rural population.