Use of ICT in Health Care for Rural India: The scenario with Software & Embedded system: the eMedicine way

Health Care sector in India has witnessed significant growth during the last few years, both in quality and capacity. In spite of such developments, heath care facilities in the country remain inadequate to meet the needs of the citizens, particularly in rural areas, where approximately 70% of the people live. To address this problem, the government has launched major national initiatives such as National Rural Health Mission, establishment of six new AIIMS like institutions, up gradation of existing public hospitals and labs, etc. As the health sector is poised for major growth in next decade, the sheer size of healthcare sector in the country will necessitate extensive use of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, services and databases for policy planning and implementation. Such a framework would require services based on inter-operable and sharable technology, connecting various institutions and service providers.