hmis

What the system covers

CareCode Open Hospital Management Information System, from the hmislk organization, is a comprehensive hospital information system that the README says has served more than 40 healthcare institutions since 2004. It is an open source solution with modules for all aspects of hospital management, from patient care to administrative functions. The key feature modules are Electronic Medical Records, Pharmacy and Laboratory Information Management, Inpatient and Outpatient Management, Appointment and Theatre Management, Human Resource and Payroll Management, and Inventory and Asset Management. The README presents the system as covering both clinical and administrative needs, so a single install can support a small clinic or a major hospital. The current version is listed as 3.0.0.20240813.1. The project history says it started in 2004 as an electronic medical record system for general practice, created by Dr. M. H. B. Ariyaratne, and it evolved through community feedback before becoming open source in 2012. The README states the earlier open source license was MIT, while the current license is AGPL as noted in the Community and Support and License sections and the LICENSE.md file. Over 40 institutions have supported the project since 2004, including Ruhunu MediHospital in Hambanthota, the University Medical Centre of the University of Colombo, and Galle Cooperative Hospital.

Requirements and first run

The quick start tells you to clone the repository, configure a blank database connection in your application server, and run the project, which then guides you through initial setup. The system requirements are a Java Enterprise Edition compatible server, a MySQL or MariaDB database, and a modern web browser. There is no separate install script described in the README beyond running the project and letting it walk you through setup, so the first run acts as the configuration step. The project also offers commercial support for installations, training, and maintenance, which the README lists alongside the GitHub repository and the AGPL license. The development team section names Dr. M. H. B. Ariyaratne as system architect and lead from 2004 to the present, Mr. Thisara De Silva as managing director from 2024, Mr. Ramath Manjitha as project manager from 2024, and Mr. Geeth Madhushan as technical lead from 2024. Because the README is short, the practical detail about building from source, the exact application server, and the schema migration steps is not spelled out here, and a reader would need to consult the repository's code and the guided first run to learn those specifics. The README's focus is on what the system does and the institutions and people behind it rather than on a step by step build.

License and community context

The license situation is worth stating carefully because the README mentions two licenses. The Project History section says the system became open source in 2012 under the MIT license. The Community and Support section and the License section both state the current license is AGPL, pointing to LICENSE.md for details. A reader should treat AGPL as the effective license for the current code and check LICENSE.md for the precise terms, since the MIT mention describes the historical 2012 release. The AGPL is a strong copyleft license, so using the software in a network service carries obligations that differ from permissive licenses. The README lists commercial support as available for installations, training, and maintenance, which signals that the project is used in real healthcare settings and that paid help is an option alongside the open source code. More than 40 institutions have supported the project since 2004, and the README names a few with their years of involvement. The development team is listed with roles and start years, which gives a sense of continuity from the 2004 founding to the current leadership. For someone evaluating the system, the combination of a long history, named institutions, and AGPL licensing is the main signal the README provides about maturity and openness.

Editorial conclusion

CareCode HMIS is a Java EE hospital information system that the README says has served more than 40 institutions since 2004. It requires a Java EE server and MySQL or MariaDB, and the current license is AGPL as stated in LICENSE.md.