- By Akansha Pandey
- Tue, 09 Sep 2025 06:26 PM (IST)
- Source:Jagran News Network
The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi government a straightforward question- How are common people supposed to find out about the availability of hospital beds and doctors in an emergency using the Health Management Information System (HMIS) software?
The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that it had started on its own back in 2017 following incidents of violence against doctors. During the hearing, the court ordered the Health Secretary to file a detailed status report.
The court directed that the report must clearly state:
- The total number of software modules that were planned for the HMIS.
- How many of those modules have actually been implemented.
- The current status of these modules in all hospitals.
- A fixed timeline for implementing the remaining modules.
These instructions came after the Delhi government's Health Secretary informed the court's bench (Justice Pratibha M Singh and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora) that recommendations from the Dr SK Sarin Committee report were considered while developing the HMIS software.
After hearing this, the bench directed the Director of AIIMS to organise a meeting with all relevant officials and present a separate status report to the court before the next hearing.
The court said this report must give a clear answer to one crucial question: In an emergency, if a patient calls a helpline number, can the HMIS software guide them to a hospital where both a bed and the required specialist doctor are available?
The bench also instructed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to continue with the recruitment process for radiologists and submit the necessary documents to the Delhi Government before the next hearing.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for October 31.
