LAHORE: The Punjab Healthcare Commission has notified the mandatory implementation of the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) for all category-I private hospitals, representing a paradigm shift from paper-based record-keeping to integrated digital healthcare service delivery.

Developed after extensive consultative processes involving leading private hospitals and clinical experts, the system provides a comprehensive digital framework, which seamlessly integrates clinical, administrative and financial functions into a unified platform.

A spokesperson for the PHC said here on Monday that the notified system introduces a unified platform encompassing essential hospital modules, including outpatient department management, emergency services, laboratory, radiology, pharmacy, with formulary control and drug interaction checking, with incident reporting, among other functional areas constituting modern hospital operations.

Its implementation will be executed strategically in three carefully designed phases, ensuring gradual adaptation, systematic capacity building and minimal disruption to clinical services.

PHC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Muhammad Saqib Aziz described the initiative as a transformative step towards building a modern, resilient and continuously learning healthcare system which leverages technology as a fundamental enabler of quality, safety and accountability.

He emphasised that the information system would streamline hospital operations while creating real-time data linkages with the PHC’s regulatory systems.

“The HMIS provides the technological infrastructure to make systematic quality improvement operationally feasible,” he added, noting that digital records enable hospitals to track clinical outcomes, identify adverse event patterns, benchmark performance and implement evidence-based interventions with measurable impact assessment.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2025