Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho has launched an electronic medical record system and other digital initiatives aimed at improving public healthcare services across the province. The systems are designed to make healthcare administration more transparent, improve patient care and help officials make decisions using real-time data. The initiative marks another step in the Sindh government’s efforts to move healthcare management away from paper-based processes towards digital platforms that can support service monitoring, resource allocation and coordination between medical facilities.
Under the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system, patient information will be maintained digitally, including medical histories, outpatient department visits, medicine provision, emergency services, maternal and child healthcare, nutrition and family planning records. By maintaining these details electronically, the system is intended to reduce paperwork and make relevant medical information easier to share between participating healthcare facilities. Better access to patient records could help healthcare workers coordinate treatment and enable administrators to assess service delivery more effectively. The system has initially been activated at 18 basic health units, with the number expected to rise to 150 healthcare centres by February 2027. The government is targeting implementation across all primary healthcare centres in Sindh by the first quarter of 2028.
The Health Department is also using a Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) to digitise administrative procedures involving officers and employees in grades 16 to 20. Applications for leave, approvals, transfers and disciplinary matters are being processed through the digital system. More than 700 leave applications have reportedly been processed and approved since the previous month, while employee promotion and transfer functions are also being integrated into the portal. These changes are intended to improve the tracking of administrative requests and provide a more organised way to manage departmental human resources. Digitising these procedures could also help reduce delays associated with physical documentation and make it easier for officials to monitor the progress of applications.
Another major component of the initiative is the digital registration of Lady Health Workers (LHWs) and the mapping of their assigned geographical areas. According to officials, digital registration of all LHWs and the preparation of geographical polygon maps have been completed for the first time in Sindh. The mapping exercise identified that 46 per cent of areas in Shaheed Benazirabad were previously outside the reach of LHW services. The digital platform is expected to help authorities identify underserved locations and deploy newly designated Community Health Workers to improve coverage. Together, the electronic medical records, HRMIS and geographic mapping systems are intended to give health authorities better visibility into patient services, staff administration and gaps in community healthcare. Their impact will depend on effective implementation, reliable data management and consistent use by healthcare staff as the programme expands across the province.
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