Health, childcare tips will be on phone, web

New Delhi, June 7: With the Modi government’s thrust on a digital India, the union health ministry is trying to devise interactive web portals and mobile apps for most of its flagship programmes like immunisation drives and mother and child care. Officials in the health ministry said union Health Minister J.P. dda has asked for the digitisation of almost all services being provided by the government in the sector. The ministry has set up a web portal in pursuance to the decisions of the tiol Knowledge Commission to provide healthcare related information to the citizens of India and serve as a single point of access for consolidated health information. The tiol Health Portal (www.nhp.gov.in) was launched by dda in Shimla last week. A special Centre for Health Informatics has been established by the tiol Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) for maging the activities of the portal, Rakesh Kumar, joint secretary in the health ministry, told IANS. For pregnt women, messages would include reminders about routine check-ups, blood tests, tetanus vaccitions and a host of other things. The government also plans to expand the scheme to include adolescent girls in the future. In the beginning, messages would be sent in six languages — four north Indian and two south Indian. Later, more languages can be added as the programme expands. A total of 78 specific messages have been identified as of now and more will be added. All stakeholders — like doctors, midwives, state health officials and service providers — are in the loop and technical issues are being worked out. . (IANS)