Kerala govt to use ration card data for digital map on COVID-19

The map will use ration card data to show the number of people aged above 60 in an area, and this will be mapped along with the number of isolation cases, primary and secondary contacts.
Kerala govt to use ration card data for digital map on COVID-19
Kerala govt to use ration card data for digital map on COVID-19
Written by:

A project is being developed in Kerala to look at the digital map of the state and see the 'people data' concerning the coronavirus disease in one place. The Health Department in association with the Kerala State IT Mission (KSIM) is developing the disease-mapping system using the data available on ration cards.

“We take one ration shop and find out the number of people aged above 60 years, living in that area. These are the more vulnerable population, for whom the fatality rate has been more. A virtual boundary is created around a ration shop. Using the date of birth on the ration cards, we find out the number of people above 60 and map them. We have done this for the entire state,” says Dr S Chithra, director of KSIM, which is providing coordination and technical support for the project.

The Health Department has the data on the number of isolation cases, primary and secondary contacts. This data would then be overlapped on the map.

“So when a state level assessment is done, you can see which area has the more aged population and how many isolation cases, primary and secondary contacts are nearby,” Chithra says.

Once the mapping of the aged is done, colour grading is used to identify the areas which have more vulnerable population. Pathanamthitta, which has more aged population, will therefore be marked red on the map.

“When you click on an area, you can see the number of aged in that area. The data would be equated with panchayat boundaries, and you can see it panchayat-wise,” Chithra says.

In addition, a coronavirus tracker portal has been developed to be managed at the panchayat level. “It is difficult to manage centralised data. So every Primary Health Centre (PHC) will get a login. They will enter the details of the isolated cases, primary and secondary contacts of their respective region. This data would be available at district level. All this can be seen visualised on a map," she explains.

Helpdesk for digitising airport data entry

In addition, a help desk is also being set up. As of now, data entry at airports and seaports are done manually. Everyone who comes from a foreign country is required to enter the data through self declaration forms.

“The Health Department has now developed a web application for which the IT Mission also has a login. The data on the web app will be available at the panchayat level using the corona tracker. Suppose someone reaches the airport and wants to go to the Karakulam Panchayat. This data is entered on the web app and the Karakulam PHC can see it right away.”

In two days, it's expected that people can enter the data themselves through the web app. Currently, this is applicable only for international passengers and not domestic ones.   

More vulnerable among the vulnerable 

Chithra says that even among those above 60, a sub-category has been identified as the more vulnerable among the vulnerable. It includes people with comorbidities, like hypertension, cancer or other severe conditions. This would be accessed from the Non Communicable Disease (NCD) data and Palliative Care data, available with the Health Department. Akshaya Centres across the state are doing the data entry to digitise this information.

The officials also realise that ration card data needn’t be up to date and may not cover everyone. “It may only be 60 percent of a region that’s reflected in the ration card data. To collect the remaining data, small groups at ward level are being formed. This would include ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, Aarogya Seva workers, ward members, social workers,” Chithra adds.

The map, she says, would act as a data analytics tool for decision-making. For instance, if more isolation cases appear in a red category zone, the respective PHC would be asked to give extra attention. The map is right now available at the Health Department, and at state minister level, for every day reviews and decision-making. "We will make the data and maps available on the website with data analytics," Chithra adds.

Watch:

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com