KARACHI: Sindh has launched a major digital health initiative to modernise public healthcare, bringing electronic patient records, workforce management, geographic mapping of community health services and online monitoring of healthcare infrastructure projects into a wider effort to improve service delivery and strengthen accountability across the province.
The initiative, inaugurated by Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho and Dr Sherin Varkey, Practice Manager for Health covering the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan at the World Bank Group, includes the introduction of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system at 18 Basic Health Units (BHUs), with the government targeting its expansion to 150 healthcare centres by February 2027.
The Health Department aims to extend electronic medical records to all primary healthcare centres across Sindh in the first quarter of 2028. The broader digital programme also covers administrative processes for health department employees, mapping of Lady Health Workers (LHWs), daily monitoring of community health services and progress tracking for hundreds of healthcare facilities undergoing reconstruction or rehabilitation.
The systems are intended to help officials make decisions using more timely data, improve coordination between healthcare facilities, monitor the use of public resources and identify gaps in service delivery.
For patients, the planned transition could mean better-organised medical histories and improved continuity of care. For health administrators, it offers digital tools to monitor services, staffing, vaccination activities and infrastructure development more systematically.
Electronic medical records to cover patient histories and treatment
The EMR system is a central component of the initiative, shifting patient information from paper-based records towards electronic documentation.
Under the system, records will include patients’ medical histories, outpatient department (OPD) visits, medicines provided, emergency services, antenatal and postnatal care, nutrition and family planning information.
The digital records are designed to reduce paperwork and facilitate the sharing of relevant patient information between healthcare facilities. Better access to organised medical histories could help healthcare professionals understand previous consultations and treatment when patients seek care at different facilities, provided the records are accurate, accessible to authorised personnel and consistently updated.
The system was introduced at 18 BHUs in October 2026. The next planned phase is to increase coverage to 150 healthcare centres by February 2027, followed by the targeted rollout across all primary healthcare centres in Sindh during the first quarter of 2028.
The phased approach will be important in determining how effectively the system can be expanded, integrated into routine clinical work and maintained across facilities with different staffing and infrastructure capacities.
The government has also outlined plans to connect existing health information systems, including the Health Management Information System (HMIS), Portal Tracking System, District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) and EMR. The proposed integration is intended to strengthen data sharing and give authorities a more connected picture of healthcare delivery, rather than leaving information in separate systems.
Digital HR system processes more than 700 leave applications
Alongside patient records, the Health Department has introduced a Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) to digitise administrative processes involving officers and employees in grades 16 to 20.
Applications for leave, approvals, transfers and other administrative and disciplinary matters are being processed through the digital portal. According to the department, more than 700 leave applications were processed and approved through the system during September and October 2026.
A portal for employee promotions and transfers is also being integrated into the system.
Digitising these processes is intended to improve administrative efficiency, make the handling of applications more transparent and strengthen oversight of human resources. The system could also help officials maintain more organised records of employee requests and administrative decisions.
Geographic mapping identifies gaps in Lady Health Worker coverage
A further component of the initiative is the digital registration of Lady Health Workers and the mapping of their assigned service areas using geographic information system (GIS) technology.
The Health Department says digital registration of all LHWs and the preparation of geographical polygon maps showing their areas of responsibility have been completed for the first time in Sindh.
The mapping is intended to help authorities identify communities and geographical areas that fall outside existing service coverage, allowing them to plan deployments according to local needs.
The department cited Shaheed Benazirabad as an example, reporting that 46 per cent of the district’s geographical areas had previously been beyond the reach of LHW services. This figure refers to areas, not 46 per cent of the district’s population.
The digital portal is expected to help identify such coverage gaps and support the deployment of newly designated Community Health Workers (CHWs) to improve access to essential services.
A mobile application will also be used to track community health workers’ daily activities, including immunisation, nutrition and women’s health services. This monitoring is intended to give officials more regular information about field activities and help identify areas where service delivery needs attention.
The effectiveness of these tools will depend on the accuracy of mapping, regular updating of worker records and the ability to translate identified gaps into actual service coverage.
Online monitoring tracks 340 healthcare infrastructure projects
The digital programme also includes an online monitoring portal for the World Bank-supported 1,000 Days Programme, under which 340 healthcare facilities in flood-affected districts and other areas are undergoing reconstruction or rehabilitation.
According to the Health Department, 276 facilities are undergoing complete reconstruction, while 64 are undergoing rehabilitation.
The portal is being used to document progress through monthly photographs and progress reports uploaded online. The records are intended to help officials monitor implementation, review the status of individual facilities and strengthen oversight of development work.
Bringing project updates into a digital monitoring system can make it easier to follow progress across multiple locations. It also gives administrators a more organised record of reported work, although the ultimate impact depends on the accuracy of updates and effective verification of progress on the ground.
The initiative places infrastructure monitoring alongside patient records and workforce management, extending the digital programme beyond clinical information to the physical facilities needed to deliver healthcare.
More digital systems planned for vaccination, organ transplantation and hospital resources
The Health Department says work is also progressing on additional digital initiatives covering specialised health programmes, vaccination activities, development schemes and hospital equipment.
These include a portal for the Sindh Human Organ Transplant Authority (SHOTA) to monitor organ donors and recipients, helping the authority maintain and track relevant information through a digital platform.
A project management tool is being developed to track milestones for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services (SIEHS) and other key programmes.
A vaccinator performance dashboard is also planned to support monitoring of vaccination campaigns and field activities. Such a tool could help managers identify operational gaps and assess whether planned vaccination activities are being carried out, depending on the quality and timeliness of the data entered.
The department is also working on an Annual Development Programme (ADP) portal to maintain online records of development schemes, alongside an inventory management system for hospital machinery and medical equipment.
Together, these systems are intended to improve oversight of public healthcare resources, from frontline services and staffing to infrastructure projects and medical equipment.
Linking health information systems is the next major challenge
The government’s wider plan includes connecting HMIS, the Portal Tracking System, DHIS2 and EMR so that information held across different platforms can contribute to more coordinated monitoring and decision-making.
A connected system could help authorities compare information on patient services, facility performance and programme implementation, potentially improving planning and the allocation of resources.
However, the proposed integration remains an important implementation milestone. Its benefits will depend on whether the systems can exchange information reliably, maintain consistent records and provide useful data to the people responsible for managing healthcare services.
The rollout will also require staff training, dependable digital infrastructure, regular maintenance and consistent use of the platforms at healthcare facilities. Without these elements, digital systems risk becoming additional reporting requirements rather than practical tools that improve patient care and administration.
Patient privacy must remain central to digital health expansion
The move towards electronic records also places greater responsibility on the government to protect sensitive medical information.
Media reports on the launch quoted Dr Pechuho expressing concern about patient data leaks and breaches of confidentiality, highlighting the importance of protecting medical records as healthcare information becomes increasingly digitised.
Electronic records can support treatment, research and health policy, but personal medical information must be protected against unauthorised access and disclosure. Clear access controls, secure data handling, accountability for breaches and safeguards governing the sharing of information will be important as the system expands.
The government’s stated plan to connect multiple health information platforms makes these protections especially important. Better data sharing should improve coordination among authorised healthcare providers and officials without compromising patient confidentiality.
Sindh’s digital health targets will be measured by implementation
The launch brings together several strands of healthcare administration under a broader digital transformation programme: electronic patient records, employee management, geographic mapping of community health coverage, monitoring of infrastructure projects and new platforms for vaccination, organ transplantation and hospital resources.
The immediate milestones are the planned expansion of EMR coverage to 150 healthcare centres by February 2027 and the target of extending the system to all primary healthcare centres in Sindh in the first quarter of 2028.
The wider test will be whether these systems are adopted consistently, produce reliable information, protect patients’ privacy and lead to measurable improvements in service delivery and resource management.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Health Secretary Tahir Hussain Sangi, SIEHS Chief Executive Officer Dr Lutaf Ali Mangrio, PPHI Sindh Chief Executive Officer Javed Ali Jagirani, retired Justice Majida and other officials.
The Health Department says the overall objective is to improve the timely delivery of quality healthcare services to people across Sindh, both in their communities and at public hospitals.
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