Published Paper Details:

A key pillar of Ayushman Bharat is to roll out Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) by establishing Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs) in the country. The use of digital tools in health services have an enormous potential for improving quality and delivery of primary healthcare. This study aims to investigate the role of digital health tools underlying health system dimensions including health care delivery for Comprehensive Primary Health Care in the states of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Andhra Pradesh (AP), India. Besides, it explores perceptions of health care providers and beneficiaries on use of digital health tools and to recommended potential solutions for program interventions and integration of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools from cross learnings in the study states. A cross-sectional study using a mixed methodology approach has been adopted. Evidence from the field revealed that for delivery of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health services at HWCs, mobiles phones and mobile applications are being used in UP and AP. Nikshay (TB portal) is being used for Tuberculosis both in UP and AP. For Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), NCD app is being used in UP, while in AP the Mahila Master Health Checkup and the Male Master Health Checkup portal is being used. Service Providers opined that digital health tools are convenient to record and store information, and reduces paperwork load. It can be concluded that there is a need for an integrated system that covers all essential services at HWCs. The study recommends to address gaps in the deployment of digital tools, enhance digital literacy, build capacities of healthcare workers to use digital health tools, promote use of digital tools by the community, enhance e-health tools for supply chain management and promote digital health tools with provision of offline data entry at HWCs.