HMIS Explained: Health Management Information System and How It Differs From IHIP

HMIS timeline

You may read online that HMIS was "launched in October 2008". We did not find that date in an official source; the MoHFW brief says 2008-09.

What HMIS collects

According to the MoHFW HMIS Brief, there are five types of reporting formats, covering Sub Centres, PHCs, CHCs, Sub District Hospitals and District Hospitals, plus equivalent facilities mapped by states and UTs. Two kinds of data are collected monthly:

• Service delivery data: maternal health, immunisation, family planning, vector-borne disease, TB, OPD and IPD, and more.
• Infrastructure and HR data: manpower, equipment, cleanliness, buildings, and diagnostic and clinical services.

One detail is worth knowing: a 2018 Lok Sabha answer said infrastructure data was uploaded annually, while the 2022 brief says monthly. Follow your state's current instruction.

HMIS data is aggregate: totals, not named individuals. The Kerala government's Arogyakeralam page notes that the RCH portal holds the individual-level line list. Data is shared as "standard, customized and analytical reports", and states verify accuracy.

Who enters HMIS data

The arrangement differs by state. The 2010 guidelines said district users "can log on and enter the physical and financial performance data directly" and that "The HMIS portal facilitates data to be entered at the facility level also." In Uttar Pradesh, a block-level data entry operator uploads data facility by facility "after validation". A North East workshop record mentions data entry operators and facility-level nodal officers, district validation committees in some states, and monthly data quality feedback to each facility.

A typical monthly cycle at a facility looks like this (our general description, not an official procedure):

1. Staff keep daily service registers: ANC, deliveries, immunisation, OPD and so on.
2. At month end, the facility in-charge compiles totals in the HMIS format for that facility type.
3. The data entry operator (facility or block) enters the totals on the HMIS portal.
4. Figures are validated at block or district level; errors go back to the facility.
5. The state reviews the data and the facility receives feedback.

HMIS deadlines (2010 guidelines, historical)

The only deadlines we found are in the 2010 HMIS guidelines (v1.5). They may be out of date; current HMIS 2.0 deadlines were not found in official material, so confirm with your district.

The same 2010 guidelines used form codes such as NRHM/HSC/3/M (Sub Centre), NRHM/PHC/3/M (PHC) and NRHM/DH-SDH-CHC/3/M. Private institutions under 30 beds used the PHC format and those over 30 beds the CHC format. These codes are historical; current HMIS 2.0 form names were not found.

HMIS portal address: current and older

HMIS has moved more than once, which is why old bookmarks fail:

• Current: hmis.mohfw.gov.in, listed by the Kerala government (Arogyakeralam) as the HMIS address. The site blocks automated checks, so we could not test it directly.
• Earlier: hmis.nhp.gov.in, given in the MoHFW HMIS Brief (around 2022), with HMIS 2.0 under the same address. This is likely the older address now.
• Older still: nrhm-hmis.nic.in (2010 guidelines) and nrhm-mis.nic.in (UP synopsis).
• State portal example: uphmis.in, Uttar Pradesh's integrated portal that pulls in GOI HMIS data, the Health Report Card and manual MPR reporting, with dashboards and GIS maps.

For HMIS login, use only the government address your state gives you, and get your ID and password from your district HMIS team. We do not provide a login and we never ask for credentials. Other systems you may use alongside HMIS are listed in our health portals directory.

HMIS vs IHIP: the key differences

The one-line contrast (HMIS for monthly service delivery, IHIP for surveillance) is our own summary of the official sources, not a quoted official line. The two are connected: WHO India reported in 2019 that the new HMIS portal uses facility listing, village boundaries, population data and GIS layers "also used in" IHIP, and "will link with IHIP" through an API. To learn IHIP itself, start at our IHIP portal guide and the IDSP explainer.

Common confusions

• "I reported fever cases in HMIS, isn't that enough?" No. HMIS service totals do not replace the IDSP S, P and L forms on IHIP. See S, P and L forms.
• "Is HMIS the same as the RCH portal?" No. HMIS is aggregate; the RCH portal tracks named beneficiaries.
• "What is eHMIS?" The term is used for some state systems, but we found no official URL for a state "e-HMIS", so we do not list one.
• "Does HMIS use the same epidemiological week as IHIP?" No. HMIS reports by month; the Monday to Sunday week belongs to IDSP. See the IHIP reporting schedule.