NEW DELHI: A transition to a new e-interface by the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) of its Health Management Information System (HMIS) portal has led to delays and disruptions in accessing medicines to thousands of beneficiaries in Delhi NCR.
Patients complained facing delay of over 10 days in getting essential medicines for their health conditions, which is attributed to server issues and incomplete patient data uploads. The issue has severely impacted beneficiaries who rely on government dispensaries for treatment.
Out of 151 CGHS dispensary units in the Delhi NCR region, around 139 are located in the national capital. While Ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines are available in a few centres, most dispensaries primarily distribute allopathic medicines.
However, with the new digital interface facing technical glitches, most of these facilities have been unable to provide even basic allopathic drugs on time. Patients across multiple locations have reported being turned away daily. Vineet Raje, a resident of RK Puram, said she has been unable to collect his prescribed medicines for several days.
“My condition is worsening. I have complained to the authorities, but there has been no resolution. I went to all three dispensaries in the area in the last few days but the situation is the same there,” he said. Due to the unavailability of medicines, many patients are being forced to purchase them from private pharmacies, placing additional financial burden on them.
According to a dispensary official based in South Delhi, the issue stems from the migration of dispensaries to a new server system. “Almost all dispensaries have been shifted to the new server, which is not functioning smoothly. This has affected medicine supply chains and both staff and patients are facing difficulties. The problem has persisted for nearly 20 days,” the official said. On April 28, the CGHS switched to its new Health Management Information System (HMIS) developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) replacing the two-decade-old software. Officials managing the CGHS digital transition acknowledged the issue and cited the challenge of accommodating a massive database in the new system as the primary reason for the delay.
“The new software is taking a bit of time. All corrective measures are being taken after spotting glitches. The services will normalise very soon,” the official said.