The maternal and child health handbook has long served to consolidate records from pregnancy through early childhood in a single booklet. It also carried problems: records are lost if the booklet is lost, information does not carry over between municipalities when families move, and institutions spend time writing entries by hand. In April 2026, revised enforcement regulations under the Maternal and Child Health Act gave the electronic handbook legal standing, and digitization of maternal and child health began in earnest. This article organizes what changes and how it bears on obstetric and pediatric practice.
Disclaimer: This article is general information. Operations, participating municipalities, and format details may change. In practice, always confirm the latest primary sources (the Children and Families Agency, the Digital Agency, and your municipality's published materials).
For the overall map of Medical DX, see What Is Medical DX? The Government Roadmap and Its Three Pillars.
What Maternal and Child Health DX Aims For
Led by the Children and Families Agency, this is the digitization of information relating to pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing. There are three main aims:
- Do not lose records: hold records electronically against loss of the paper booklet or destruction in a disaster
- Carry records across municipalities: keep checkup and vaccination records continuous even after a move
- Reduce the burden of entry and viewing: ease the work of writing and checking for guardians, municipalities, and institutions alike
The second was especially hard to solve under the old arrangement. Because municipalities implement maternal and child health programs, continuity of records was structurally fragile when families moved.
Where the Electronic Handbook Stands
On April 1, 2026, revised enforcement regulations positioned the electronic handbook within the system. This does not mean the paper handbook is abolished. More precisely, both paper and electronic can now be treated as official.
In practice, the following information is handled through municipality-provided handbook apps and Mynaportal.
| Information | Content |
|---|---|
| Prenatal checkup records | Visit dates, measurements, test results |
| Infant checkup records | Results by month/age, growth records |
| Vaccination records | Vaccination history (linked with Vaccine DX) |
| Questionnaires | Advance entry via Mynaportal |
How Data Linkage Works
Prenatal and infant checkup information digitized by municipalities becomes viewable by guardians through Mynaportal. Via an intermediate server, it can also be shared between municipalities.
The foundation for this linkage is PMH (Public Medical Hub), which connects municipalities and medical institutions; maternal and child health is one of its covered areas. Because it shares the same foundation as the digitization of immunization (Vaccine DX), understanding the two together makes the overall picture clearer.
How Obstetric and Pediatric Practice Changes
Entering Checkup Records
Institutions have written checkup results by hand into the paper handbook. As digitization advances, operations shift toward registering results from a system. However, because progress varies by municipality, both handwritten entries and electronic records may be required for the time being.
Publicly Funded Checkup Vouchers
Public funding for prenatal checkups has been operated through vouchers issued by municipalities. As PMH-based eligibility checks spread, this verification also moves toward digitization. It should become easier to verify in cases such as returning home to give birth, where the place of residence and the place of care differ.
More Efficient Questionnaires
Once guardians can enter questionnaires in advance via Mynaportal, waiting to fill out forms at the counter falls and checking content completes on screen. Clinics handling many infant checkups can expect easing of congestion.
Referencing Past Records
For patients who have moved in, institutions previously had to rely on the guardian's memory or the booklet at hand. Once records are shared between municipalities, care informed by growth trajectory and vaccination history becomes easier. Clinically, this is the largest gain.
Characteristics and Cautions
Like PMH and Vaccine DX, timing differs by municipality. Even though the electronic handbook is now positioned within the system, when operations actually begin depends on each municipality's readiness and app deployment.
Institutions should note:
- Paper and electronic will coexist for a long period: assume operations that handle both
- Apps differ by municipality: the app in use may vary with where the patient lives
- Not all information is shared immediately: the scope of covered information widens in stages
What Clinics Can Do Now
1. Check Your Local Situation
Confirm handbook app deployment and PMH participation in your own municipality and those where your main patients live. Obstetric and pediatric clinics often draw patients from several municipalities, so surveying neighboring ones pays off in practice.
2. Revisit the Checkup Record Entry Flow
Decide who enters records and when, for when electronic records are required. Whether the physician enters during consultation or a nurse records afterward changes the system environment you need.
3. Prepare Guidance for Guardians
Questions about the electronic handbook and Mynaportal questionnaire entry will increase. It helps to clarify in advance what your clinic can explain and what should be referred to the municipal office.
With AI Karte
The AI-native EMR "AI Karte" includes functions for daily pediatric and obstetric work such as infant checkup records, growth curve management, and vaccination scheduling. We are also examining our approach to data linkage in the maternal and child health domain in light of implementation progress on the regulatory side. We welcome consultations on adoption tailored to each specialty's workflow.
Conclusion
Maternal and Child Health DX began in earnest with the April 2026 codification of the electronic handbook. The paper handbook will not disappear immediately, but daily work—entering checkup records, verifying public funding, and receiving questionnaires—will change in stages. For obstetrics and pediatrics, being able to reference records for patients who have moved is a substantial clinical advance. Practically, start by confirming the situation in your area and design operations on the premise that paper and electronic coexist.
Through providing AI Karte, Pottech aims to be the ideal business partner for clinics—improving the working environment for physicians, nurses, and medical clerical staff, and supporting clinics in fully realizing what they want to achieve.
For more details, please feel free to contact us.