NHA’s review of Bihar’s public-health infrastructure reveals major gains under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and allied state efforts: almost all districts now use digital registration and health-records systems, boosting efficiency, transparency and access across government health facilities.
Glimpse:
Over 90% of government health facilities in Bihar have now transitioned to paperless operations, using digital OPD registrations, e-prescriptions, and electronic health records. State data shows that 92% of OPD registrations are completed through online or QR-based “Scan & Share” systems, significantly cutting down waiting times and administrative bottlenecks. This progress is largely attributed to the seamless integration of hospital digitisation platforms with a central command-and-control centre in Patna, which provides real-time monitoring of public-health workflows across all 38 districts.
The NHA recently conducted a comprehensive review of digital-health implementation in Bihar’s public-sector health network covering all 38 districts and gave positive feedback on the state’s extensive adoption of digital tools under the ABDM and state-level programmes. national leader in digital health: data shows that 92 per cent of government health-care facilities are now operating nearly paperlessly. This includes online OPD registration, electronic health records, e-prescriptions, and use of QR-based “Scan & Share” systems for patient check-in and flow management.
What makes the implementation scalable and effective is a state-wide infrastructure backbone. Over 13,000 state-run health facilities (across the 38 districts) are integrated through a unified Hospital Information Management System (HIMS), managed under a special project called BHAVYA Project which serves as the managed-service provider (MSP) for the state health department.
At the heart of this transformation is a centralised command-and-control centre (based in Patna), which receives real-time data feeds (from OPD registrations, hospital workflows, facility performance, etc.) from all district hospitals and public health institutions. This enables live monitoring, early detection of system-wide issues, and prompt administrative action significantly improving accountability, patient experience, and service delivery.
The outcomes have been noticeable at the ground level. Reports indicate that hospitals across the state have seen faster OPD start times, smoother patient flow, shorter wait times, and a reduction in manual paperwork benefiting both patients and staff.
Given this progress, NHA’s review has underlined Bihar’s digital-health rollout as a model for other states, demonstrating how coordinated technology adoption, real-time data systems, and strong governance can transform public health delivery at scale.
“The transformation in Bihar shows what’s possible when we marry technology with public-health intent digital health isn’t just about e-records, it’s about making care faster, fairer and more accessible.”
By
HB Team
