MDS is a computer system that stores and retrieves the patient medical record. It replaces the patient record books in hospitals and clinics and produces many of the routine reports and forms automatically.It is simple to use, easy to learn, low in cost and reliable.For these reasons it is the perfect system for hospitals and clinics in developing countries.It was pioneered by the Government of Sri Lanka from 2006 to 2009 in 27 hospitals throughout the Eastern Province.

The MDS Project was funded by the Austrian and Swiss Red Cross as part of their tsunami relief program and will be taken over fully by the Health Ministry at the end of 2009.The awards winning  MDS system consists of hardware (a small local network of computers and printers in each hospital) and software (a simple database running on a Linux server and accessed throughout the hospital using a web-browser). Where possible the systems are connected to the Internet for remote maintenance and communications.

The Red Cross project team consisted of trainers and computer engineers who visited the hospitals regularly and a management team who produced the software, set up the hospital administration of the systems, arranged the logistics of hardware delivery and maintenance including supply of consumables and providing training for staff.These functions are now being taken over by the Health Services of the Eastern Province and the central Health Ministry in Colombo. There are plans to extend the system to other parts of the country.