BANGALORE: Infosys Technologies has become the first Indian technology company to win an UK government contract. It will be offering its services to the UK's National Health Services (NHS).

The newly initiated specialized public sector practice of Infosys will focus on information and service aggregation, aimed at reducing transaction costs and defining new levels of public service and constituent intimacy, an official press release stated today.

Douglas Alexander, the UK minister for IT, said, "The British government takes pride in being professional and responsive to the needs of its constituents. This calls for innovative and effective solutions to provide the public easy, fast and secure access to the government. It is understood that global development of software is here to stay and Infosys is known to be a pioneer in this field. With their project management and excellent execution skills, it is the first Indian technology company to have won a contract with the UK government and the NHS."

The minister added, "Based on the success of this current engagement we can consider opportunities for Infosys to be involved in the technology initiatives of the UK government."

Infosys has listed its objective to deliver technology-enabled transformation to governments through best of breed business solutions. The public sector practice will create a digital model for the public to easily access information, participate in decision-making and conveniently transact with the government.

NHS, the world's largest health maintenance organization with over one million employees, engaged Infosys to enable all general practitioners and hospitals to access patient records electronically using ERDIP or Electronic Record Data Implementation Program. Infosys will assist NHS with program management, technical coordination, data migration, system integration, system design and build the ERDIP pilot for patients with coronary heart disease.

After an initial engagement for South West Devon Hospital, Infosys is to assist the NHS in the national rollout of ERDIP across all 240 NHS hospitals. By 2005, the health records of the UK’s 60 million citizens will be accessible on a secure shared database. The ability to access patient records swiftly and seamlessly, and sharing these records with other hospitals will revolutionize the efficiency of healthcare in the UK.

Commenting on the Infosys Public Sector Practice, Infosys chairman and CEO N R Narayana Murthy said, "Progressive governments are embracing technology as a way to facilitate transparency and efficiency in governance, and are offering services similar to those in the private sector. Therefore, Infosys has identified government as a focus area."