The Union health ministry has launched a slew of new e-health and m-health initiatives such as Mobile Apps in its efforts to focus on the youth and adolescents of the country to prevent and combat lifestyles diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases.

The ministry feels that prevention and awareness about non-communicable diseases which are largely linked with lifestyle, dietary habits, lack of exercise, etc. will go a long way in ensuring that the country remains healthy. India can reap the benefits of its demographic dividend only when the youth of the country grow up to be healthy citizens, it feels.

The ministry has recently launched the ‘Swasth Bharat Mobile application’ and ‘ANM Online application-ANMOL’. ANMOL is a tablet-based application that allows ANMs to enter and updated data for beneficiaries of their jurisdiction. This will ensure more prompt entry and updation of data as well as improve the data quality since the data will be entered “at source” by providers of health services themselves. Since the application is Aadhaar-enabled, it will help in authentication of the records of field workers and beneficiaries.

The ministry also launched ‘E-RaktKosh initiative.’ It is an integrated Blood Bank Management Information System that has been conceptualized and developed after multiple consultations with all stakeholders. This web-based mechanism interconnects all the Blood Banks of the State into a single network. The Integrated Blood Bank MIS refers the acquisition, validation, storage and circulation of various live data and information electronically regarding blood donation and transfusion service. Such system is able to assemble heterogeneous data into legible reports to support decision making from effective donor screening to optimal blood dissemination in the field.

This initiative will be of great use to persons and families in need of blood transfusion. This application will enable not only information of the nearest blood bank on a mobile but also of the availability of the particular blood group in a given radius.

Besides, the ministry also launched another mobile application ‘India Fights Dengue’ which will find wide use as the fight against vector borne diseases, especially dengue, can be won only with effective community participation. This App empowers the community members how to contribute towards prevention of dengue.