Kerala to Roll Out Electronic-Reporting Solution for Laboratory Tests by 2025: Health Minister Veena George

The initiative will enable patients to receive test reports digitally, including primary test results in quantifiable formats.

Kerala is set to introduce an electronic-reporting system for laboratory tests at public health institutions by April 2025, aiming to enhance diagnostic services and reduce patient expenses.

Announced by Health Minister Veena George, the initiative will enable patients to receive test reports digitally, including primary test results in quantifiable formats.

The program, named Nirnaya (Nava Kerala Integrated Referral Network for Advanced Diagnostics and Care), is part of the state’s Aardram Mission to standardize and modernize public health services.

It seeks to ensure the availability of essential diagnostic tests at all levels of public health centers, reducing gaps in services and providing people-friendly healthcare.

“We aim to standardize the lab network at public health facilities with a stipulated number of tests at each level and hub laboratories at primary and secondary levels. The network will be introduced in all health blocks to address gaps in testing at primary facilities,” George stated.

Kerala’s Nirnaya Program

In its first phase, Nirnaya will ensure that 62 basic tests are available at primary health centers, with further standardization across the system. Advanced tests will be provided at designated hubs within a structured "hub-and-spoke" model.

Community health centers will act as primary hubs, district hospitals or regional public health labs as secondary hubs, and national or state referral labs as tertiary hubs.

The initiative will ensure access to 62 tests at the primary level, 89 tests at the secondary level, 96 at district hospitals, and 131 at referral labs.

A senior official from the Directorate of Health Services emphasized that the program would fill critical gaps in diagnostic services and improve efficiency across the system.

Nirnaya represents Kerala’s broader commitment to modernizing healthcare and easing patient burden by integrating technology and enhancing accessibility.

In August, this year, Kerala’s Health Minister Veena George unveiled digital payment systems across government hospitals in Kerala.

As part of this move, digital payment systems were introduced in 63 government hospitals, spanning from taluk hospitals to medical colleges, where the eHealth scheme is currently operational.

The initiative further utilized 249 Point-of-Service (POS) machines, allowing patients to make payments through debit cards, credit cards, and UPI transactions.

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