SHILLONG, April 5: Health Minister AL Hek, on Monday, lauded the virtual launch of the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP), which is the ‘next generation highly refined version’ of the current Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), while maintaining that this will benefit the state immensely.
“We had a virtual conference with Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on the launch of the Integrated Health Information Platform and discussed about the online disease surveillance platform which is very important to detect disease and will come handy in any kind of emergency,” Hek said after the virtual launch programme. Hailing the new platform as an achievement for the country, the minister said, “If any pandemic breaks out, it can be immediately be detected and reported. This is why it was launched for immediate data collection and data entry on line”.
Speaking about the benefits associated with it, Hek said that the IHIP will provide a health information system developed for real-time and case-based information, integrated analytics, advanced visualisation capability and in addition, outbreak investigation activities, which can be initiated and monitored electronically and easily integrated with other ongoing surveillance programmes.
“We will have to have our own meeting in all health centres; right from the district hospital-level to the sub-centres, it has to reach out for any kind of eventuality,” he said.
The health minister said that in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other prevailing diseases in the state like typhoid fever, dysentery etc., it will play an important role to immediately detect and contain in its origin without spreading from one area to the another.
He said that the programme is already functional but not done online completely. “We will follow up. The department has to work it out,” he added.
The Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) is an advanced system for disease surveillance which will track 33 diseases, upgrading from 18 ailments earlier, and ensure near-real-time data digitally mode. It was launched by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday.