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LAHORE, Sep 05 (APP):The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has laid out requirements for the Health Management Information System (HMIS), which will initially be introduced in private category-I hospitals to improve healthcare service delivery and decision-making at all levels.
In a letter addressed to the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department on Friday, Chairperson Board of Commissioners PHC Major (retd) Azam Suleman Khan urged the Punjab government to immediately move towards the launch of a Universal Patient Medical Record Number (UPMRN) and the establishment of a unified HMIS across all healthcare facilities in the province.
The PHC stressed that the absence of a centralised patient record system remains a major hurdle to improving healthcare quality, ensuring patient safety, and enabling evidence-based policy reforms. It noted that the use of fragmented and incompatible systems in public and private hospitals leads to duplication, inefficiencies, and interruptions in continuity of care.
The Commission proposed that each patient be assigned a universal identifier, allowing their medical history to be securely accessed across hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and diagnostic centres. Such a step, it said, would enhance clinical decision-making, reduce medical errors, and support integrated healthcare delivery.
Highlighting the importance of an integrated HMIS, the PHC underscored the need for a system that is interoperable, adaptable to Punjab’s context, and aligned with global best practices. It said the framework should allow real-time reporting of health data, monitoring of disease trends, and evidence-based allocation of resources, thereby strengthening both preventive and curative care.
Azam Suleman Khan reaffirmed the PHC’s commitment to working with provincial health departments, allied institutions, and healthcare providers to design and implement a secure, scalable and robust HMIS. He said such reforms are vital not only for efficiency but also for aligning Punjab’s healthcare sector with international standards of patient-centred care.
The Commission also called on all stakeholders, including government institutions, healthcare facilities, and technology partners, to collaborate in building a future-ready health information ecosystem that ensures continuity of care and strengthens regulatory oversight for the benefit of every citizen in Punjab.