CGHS portal faces glitches, delaying medical supply

The Central Government Health Scheme's (CGHS) new portal catering to more than three crore beneficiaries is facing serious troubles with technical glitches and server problems, affecting medical supply delay of more than 30 days for the past two months. The problems started when CGHS under Health Ministry decided to change Health Management Information System (HMIS) from National Informatics Centre (NIC) to Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

Main beneficiaries of CGHS which provide medicines and treatment are Central Government employees, pensioners and their families ranging more than 3 crore people. The CGHS facility offers free treatment and medicines to beneficiaries.   Many officials are saying the change from NIC to C-DAC developed portal from last week of April has created total mess. NIC, mainly operating Government portals was handling CGHS portal from 2005 and was doing well.

C-DAC, another Government agency handling research and development was assigned by Health Ministry to create new portal of CGHS and many officials say C-DAC with very less staff and expertise on portal creation and management had outsourced the project to private agency. “Around `100 crore was given to C-DAC to create new portal for CGHS. And it was outsourced to a private firm. Why NIC was changed is a question.

“The new CGHS portal created by C-DAC is total mess and HMIS is not at all working and lot of server problems and CGHS head quarters or dispensaries spanning across the country can't provide details of medical supply due to frequent glitches in the new portal,” said a top official, who himself is waiting to get his routine medicines for more than 30 days. The Pioneer filed RTI queries to C-DAC on this regard asking details of contract value and role of private companies in designing the new portal.

Another official said he is now purchasing his regular insulin from private medical shop as CGHS dispensary is not able to supply due to the portal sever issues.  CGHS officials admit that mass data has to be filed and hence facing glitches and delays in new portal created by C-DAC.

Union Health Ministry officials in charge of CGHS portal change from NIC to C-DAC are tight lipped on the two month long chaos in the new portal resulting long delays in medical supply to more than Three crore Central Government employees, pensioners and their families. “We are trying to rectify and solve the portal problems resolved soon,” the only reply from CGHS officials, without giving a time frame in resolving the problem.