Hyderabad: Software bugs have proved to be the biggest hurdle for the Strategic Management of Information System programme that was started to record data on HIV-infected patients in both states. A senior officer of Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society, said, “The roll out of SIMU began in 2011, but all units are not working properly because of the bugs in the software. The team based in New Delhi has not been able to sort it out.”
Due to this, the system of direct reporting by healthcare workers, doctors and other officers in the health sector is not possible. There is heavy reliance on non-government organisations that are keeping a tab of the new cases and getting them registered.
The lapse in the reporting system has proved to be a big handicap, and was taken up by the National AIDS Control Society recently, as the shifting patterns of transmission of HIV are not being known and hence not recorded.
A senior APSACS0 officer said, “This issue highlighted the need for reporting from the existing healthcare structure and the need to improvise the system so that appropriate data can be collected.” A senior APSACS0 officer said, “The software would have helped to collect huge data and get the exact prevalence which is being done by other countries.
We are dependent on a group of people to identify or the affected patients to come to clinics and seek help. Hence those who are privately treating themselves due to the stigma and discrimination are not getting any aid from the government intervention programs.”
With the NGOs on a pen-down strike since the last two months, the reporting of new cases has drastically reduced. The official explained, “This issue highlighted the need for reporting from the existing healthcare structure and the need to improvise the system so that appropriate data can be collected.”
