MP High Court Orders Health Ministry to Digitise Medical Records of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Survivors

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has instructed key officials to devise a plan within a week to digitise medical records of the 1984 gas tragedy victims. This directive was issued by Chief Justice S.K. Kait and Justice Vivek Jain while addressing a contempt petition from the Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahila Udyog Sanghathan. The court's order, dated January 6, was made public on Wednesday.

The court expressed concern over the lack of urgency shown by the respondents in completing this task. It mandated that the Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, and the Director of Bhopal Memorial Hospital Research Centre collaborate to finalise an action plan promptly. This is to ensure that the matter is addressed efficiently and within a set timeline.

Progress Monitoring and Funding

The court also required daily progress reports from the authorities involved in this initiative. It emphasised the need for timely release of funds necessary for digitising these records. The affidavit submitted by the respondents highlighted challenges due to the age of medical records predating 2014, which limits scanning to 3,000 pages per day.

This scanning pace suggests that completing the task will take approximately 550 days. However, precise timelines can only be determined once work begins. The affidavit also mentioned plans for a cloud server under the e-hospital project. A proposal from NIC is awaiting financial approval from the Finance Department, with budget allocation expected in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Implementation Timeline

Once financial approval is secured, scanned records will be uploaded to this server. According to NIC's proposal, this entire process should conclude within 12 months. The court's directives aim to expedite this process and ensure efficient handling of these crucial medical records.

The High Court's intervention underscores the importance of preserving these historical medical records digitally. This initiative is vital for ensuring that survivors receive proper healthcare support based on accurate historical data.