ITANAGAR, Jul 29: A two-day state level ‘workshop-cum-training of trainers of Arunachal Pradesh on the use of Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) in Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP)’ was inaugurated by Health & Family Welfare Secretary (HFW) Juhi Mukherjee at the Dorjee Khandu State Convention Centre here on Monday.
“The IHIP is a web-enabled near real-time electronic information system that is embedded with all applicable government of India e-Governance standards, information technology, data and meta-data standards to provide state-of-the-art single operating picture with geo-spatial information for managing disease outbreaks and related resources,” State Epidemiologist Dr L Jampa informed in a press release.
The workshop is a kick-start to the soft launch of the IHIP in Arunachal, with three participants each from the 20 existing district surveillance units of the IDSP participating in the training.
On the inaugural day, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) National Professional Officer on Health Security and Emergency, Dr Pavana Murthy, informed that “unlike the IDSP, which
provides weekly reporting on 16 communicable diseases, the IHIP will cover over 33 diseases, and shall be on a daily basis reporting and case-based system.”
Dr Murthy said the workshop would feature hands-on training on the IHIP mobile app, and encouraged the participants to gain the most out of the programme.
WHO senior advisor Dr Ramesh Krishnamurthy said the IHIP is “a system of systems” in data collection and generation. He informed that “in the larger bucket of data available in the country, high granular data can be obtained to map out their occurrences.
“The IHIP will help to layer out the geographical information by adopting geo-special epidemiology, and no fake data or nonsensical data can be allowed as every data is accounted and audited,” he informed.
Dr Krishnamurthy said the IHIP would be “a game changer in enhancing disease surveillance and predicting outbreaks or epidemics to near real-time accuracy to enable taking quick and prompt actions to even villages and household levels.”
He said India is going to be the first country in the world to venture into the application of the IHIP for all possible data collection and management in the health sector.
Health Services Director Dr Emi Rumi said that “in the era of digital world and in the concept of winning the war, the onus of responsibility lies in the health workers at the district level.”
He advised the participants to learn as much as possible, as they have to return and sensitize their respective DMOs and DRCHOs to the IHIP.
The HFW secretary, who is also the mission director of the state NHM, commended the concept of the IHIP.
“It is a momentous occasion to witness the start of a watershed project in the light of the IHIP,” she said, adding: “What gets measured will be monitored,” and advised the gathering to commit themselves to doing work on the IHIP with integrity and sincerity.
She assured the resource persons of the government’s full support in implementing the IHIP in the state.
Mukerjee noted that once it is implemented, the IHIP would help in smoothening integration of the health data systems and facilitate proper planning and resource allocations by the HFW department.
Consultant epidemiologist from the IDSP’s central surveillance unit, Dr Sandeep Goyal is one of the resource persons.
Among others, IDSP training manager Naniya Lod, Family Welfare Director Dr Allok Yirang, joint directors and deputy directors attended the inaugural programme.
