Hospitals directed to record NID or birth registration number of patients

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has ordered all public hospitals across the country to record the National Identity Card (NID) or birth registration number when admitting a patient.

"For the purpose of recording detailed information of patients, hospitals are directed to keep a specific space in the admission forms to record the NID or birth registration numbers of patients," reads a notice by the DGHS on Monday.

Alongside their name and phone number, patients from now on have to provide their NID or birth certificate number at hospitals across the country. 

Prof Dr Md Shahadat Hossain, Director, Management Information System (MIS), DGHS, told The Business Standard, It is still not a mandatory rule for admitting patients at hospitals. Actually, the data is required for surveillance of communicable and non-communicable diseases, including dengue, Covid-19, and cancer.

The ministry concerned also asked the DGHS to provide a list of pregnant women who received healthcare services at hospitals as the government has arranged an allowance for them. Moreover, such individual data will help the government in issuing medical cards.

"In the list, we will have to mention their NID or birth certificate number. So, we are directing hospitals to record these data of patients," he added.  

Prof Dr Md Shahadat Hossain said, "We have already sent a letter to the hospitals in this regard. Initially, we will monitor how many patients are providing their NID or birth registration number."

 Later, providing the data will be made mandatory for patients in availing healthcare services at hospitals, he added.