Patna: The Bihar Health Department has introduced a new system to digitally record vaccinations administered at private hospitals across the state. All private hospitals registered under the Clinical Establishments Act will be linked to the government’s digital health platforms to ensure that their vaccination records are included in the official database.
The initiative aims to integrate vaccination data from government and private healthcare facilities, making it easier for authorities to identify children and pregnant women who have missed scheduled doses.
The department expects the move to strengthen immunisation monitoring and support its target of achieving 100 per cent vaccination coverage among children and pregnant women.
Bihar Health Department Issues Instructions To Civil Surgeons
Dr Nawal Kishore Choudhary, Executive Director of the State Health Society, has issued instructions to all Civil Surgeons to implement the new arrangement.
District authorities will identify private hospitals providing vaccination services and ensure their registration and mapping on the designated government portals. These institutions will have to regularly upload details of every beneficiary receiving a vaccine.
According to the National Family Health Survey-6 (2023-24), 2.1 per cent of children aged 12–23 months in Bihar receive vaccinations at private hospitals. The department considers it important to include these records in official data to ensure that vaccination coverage reflects services provided by both public and private healthcare facilities.
Registration And Mapping Of Private Hospitals
Under the prescribed standard operating procedure, Sub-District Administrators will be responsible for registering private hospitals and mapping them on the digital platform.
The registration process will require details including the hospital’s name, address, PIN code, rural or urban classification, geographical coordinates and the relevant block or urban local body.
Hospitals will also have to assign responsibilities to healthcare facility managers, delivery point managers and vaccination staff and link them to the digital system.
Private Hospitals To Publish Vaccination Sessions Online
Private hospitals will have to create vaccination session sites on the designated portal and publish their schedules online.
The details will include the date and time of each session, along with the number of beneficiaries the facility can accommodate.
This arrangement will allow health authorities to monitor vaccination sessions digitally and maintain updated records of people receiving immunisation services at private hospitals.
Separate Digital Records For Pregnant Women And Children
The government’s digital health system will maintain vaccination reports under separate categories.
Details of vaccinations administered to pregnant women will be entered under the M-1 category, while information relating to children and adolescents will be recorded under the M-9 facility code.
Individual, name-based records of beneficiaries will also be maintained, including details of the vaccines administered to each person. This will help health authorities track vaccination history and identify beneficiaries who have missed scheduled doses.
Guidelines Issued For Reporting Different Vaccines
The department has specified reporting procedures for certain vaccines administered at private hospitals.
Hexavalent or equivalent vaccines will have to be recorded as pentavalent or equivalent. Similarly, MMR vaccine entries will be made under the MR or equivalent category.
Private hospitals will issue only Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) e-vaccination certificates after administering vaccines under the prescribed system.
Healthcare Staff Must Link HPR IDs With User Accounts
Managers and vaccination personnel responsible for operating the digital platforms will have to link their Health Professional Registry (HPR) IDs with their respective user IDs during their first login.
The Bihar Health Department expects the integration of private hospitals into the digital reporting system to improve consistency in vaccination records across the state.
By including private-sector vaccination data in the official database, authorities will be better placed to assess immunisation coverage, identify beneficiaries who have missed doses and plan follow-up vaccination services.
