A worldwide software glitch in Microsoft systems has significantly disrupted health services in Himachal Pradesh, causing widespread issues, according to a senior state health official.
Sanjay Awasthi, Chief Parliamentary Secretary of the Health Department of the Himachal Pradesh government, addressed the issue on Saturday, saying, “There have been reports of some software issues since yesterday (Friday), and these are temporary. I think we shall recover it, and it will be addressed in the health services. We are working on improving the health care system in the state as the Chief Minister wants to provide the best health care to the people.”
In response to the disruptions, Awasthi assured that financial resources had been released for Himcare card holders to settle pending dues, ensuring that people do not face further issues. He also announced the upcoming launch of a new OPD at Chamiyana in the Tertiary Care Center in Shimla.
Patients and their attendants have been experiencing difficulties due to the software issues. Rakesh, an attendant with a patient, expressed his frustration, saying, “We are facing problems, our patients are not getting the reports. Doctors are asking for medical reports. They are saying that servers are down, and we are facing problems. I don’t know how long it will take.”
Medical professionals are taking steps to mitigate the impact of the software outage. Dr. Subhash, Medical Superintendent at Kamla Nehru Hospital in Shimla, explained, “In the hospital, due to the global outage of Microsoft Systems, it has also created problems here. We are facing issues in the entry of lab tests, but we are not facing any problems in the labs themselves, so we have told staff to keep manual records. We are trying to resolve it, and we hope it will be addressed soon.”
Krsnaa Diagnostics, which provides pathological lab services in all government hospitals in Himachal Pradesh, has also been affected by the outage, further complicating the situation.
Efforts are underway to restore normal operations and ensure that health services can continue without further disruption.