Innovative Rural Healthcare Solution from CMC
Hyderabad, April 15, 2003

CMC Limited, a Tata enterprise, and the Government of Andhra Pradesh jointly organised a workshop on mobile computing in health care at Hotel Taj Residency today. Shri Kodela Siva Prasad Rao, honourable Minister for Health, inaugurated the one-day workshop aimed at sharing the experience in implementing the World Bank-funded IHC project in Nalgonda district, which experimented with the usage of mobile computing devices by rural healthcare workers.

More than 100 participants including technologists, health officials, medical staff and academicians from various states attended the workshop. Dignitaries from the government included Ms Neelam Sawhney, IAS, CFW, Mr Ajay Sawhney, IAS, Special Secretary, IT & C.

Delivering the welcome address, Mr S S Ghosh, Managing Director, CMC Limited, said, "CMC is extremely happy to be a part of this rural healthcare revolution. This is one of the first time in the world that a PDA ( Personal Digital Assistants) based health care solution is deployed in tackling rural health issues."

Improving the productivity of health service providers when they go to villages is an important administrative issue for State as well as Central health officials. Use of information technology, particularly deployment of mobile computing devices is very relevant in this context.

CMC and Department of Health, Medical and Family Welfare, Government of Andhra Pradesh have successfully deployed one of the world's first PDA based innovative health care solution in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh. In all, about 200 PDAs were deployed in the district. Government of Andhra Pradesh is planning to extend this solution to all other districts in the State.

Under this deployment of integrated health care information system a number of desktop computers and hand held mobile computing devices — PDAs are being provided to Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Auxiliary Nurses and Midwives (ANMs). While nursing or counselling the beneficiaries, the ANMs collect data using the PDA in the villages. At the PHC they transfer the data from PDA to the desktop. All data that is available on the desktops at various PHCs is transferred to the district level and State Health Commissioner's office using available network.

Data compilation and report generation could now be done at the PHC level, district level and State level.

Data thus compiled will be available in the PDAs in the form of information like house-wise data of pregnant women in the village, immunisation information of children and other health care programmes, demographic data, mother and child health care programmes, family planning services, birth and death registrations, etc.

The presence of an ANM at the doorsteps of people in our villages with a mobile computing device is now enhancing the quality of health care for rural masses apart from improving the productivity of the health service providers. This solution has great potential for use in all villages around India and other third world countries.

About CMC
Founded in 1976, CMC is one of the premier information technology solution providers in India, with a turnover of Rs 5,653.3 million for 2001-02. Operating out of 18 offices and more than 150 service locations in the country, CMC Limited employs over 3000 people and has a wholly owned subsidiary in USA called Baton Rouge International Inc.

CMC's vision is to operate globally and bring the benefit of information technology to improve the productivity of its customers and the quality of its customer's products and services. CMC combines horizontal expertise in information technology with its vertical experience developed by working in a wide range of industries.

Contact
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Tel: 91-11-23736151-8
Email: svr@cmcltd.com