Infy first to win UK government contract

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."