New Delhi, February 17
The Delhi High Court has observed that integration of hospitals through digital systems can significantly improve patient care and enable faster treatment, especially in emergencies, while directing authorities to ensure real-time availability of information on beds and medical facilities across the city.
In its order dated February 13, a Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora noted that the NextGen e-Hospital platform has the potential to allow seamless sharing of patient data and treatment records across hospitals, which can aid doctors in better diagnosis and continuity of care.
The Court was hearing matters initiated on its own motion concerning the strengthening of health infrastructure and accessibility of emergency medical services. During the hearing, a presentation was made by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) on the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) and the progress in implementing digital modules across government hospitals.
The Bench noted that the digital platform enables integration of outpatient and inpatient workflows, billing, pharmacy, appointment systems, and patient records, and also supports AI-assisted tools and tele-radiology.
It was observed that such integration could help doctors access a patient's complete medical history and identify health patterns, thereby improving diagnosis and treatment outcomes.
At the same time, the Court highlighted that the key issue before it was ensuring immediate and real-time access to information on the availability of beds, ICU facilities and other emergency services in Delhi hospitals.
It was informed that 38 hospitals in Delhi are already onboarded on the platform, but admissions and discharges are still partly being handled manually, possibly due to a lack of equipment or training. The Court remarked that the system needs to be scaled up and fully utilised to generate reliable real-time data.
The Bench was also told that while data on bed availability is currently available on a government website, a mobile application meant to provide the same information is still awaiting final approvals for launch on the Google Play Store.
The Court emphasised that the digital platform must be linked with a mobile application so that patients, families, ambulance services and doctors can easily access real-time information.
Issuing directions, the Court asked the Health Secretary of the Delhi government to ensure that the NextGen e-Hospital platform is mandatorily implemented for admissions, inpatient and outpatient services, and discharge processes across all onboarded hospitals. It also directed that steps be taken to ensure that all 38 hospitals fully use the system and that consultations be held to consider onboarding private hospitals as well.
To expedite the launch of the mobile application, the Court issued notice to Google's counsel to assist with technical onboarding issues and directed that the Delhi High Court's IT Officer provide support to resolve any technical hurdles. The Court further ordered the Health Department to provide four additional technical personnel to NIC within a week to facilitate development work.
The Bench acknowledged that several steps have already been taken towards integration of hospitals, but stressed that ensuring immediate and easy access to bed-related information remains crucial for timely emergency care. The matter is now listed for further hearing on April 16, 2026, with directions to file updated status reports.
- ANI
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