Bahmni

What Bahmni does

Bahmni is an open-source Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) designed primarily for hospitals and clinics in low-resource settings. Founded in January 2013 by Thoughtworks as part of its social-justice mission and first deployed at Jan Swasthya Sahyog in Bilaspur, India, Bahmni was transferred in October 2017 to the Bahmni Coalition under the fiscal sponsorship of OpenMRS Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit registered in Indianapolis, Indiana. As of 2019 the platform had reached more than 500 known sites across over 50 countries, with current scale cited at 20M+ patient records and 4,000+ active users.

The platform is technically an integration of multiple mature open-source products unified into a single configurable system: OpenMRS (Java/MySQL/Hibernate/Spring/REST) provides the EMR and patient-management core; OpenELIS Global (Java/JSP/PostgreSQL/Hibernate) provides laboratory information management; Odoo/OpenERP (Python/PostgreSQL) provides inventory, billing, and financial accounting; and Oviyam/dcm4che provides DICOM/PACS imaging. The frontend uses AngularJS with progressive migration to React, and inter-module integration is delivered via Atom Feeds, HTTP, and REST APIs with an active transition to HL7 FHIR endpoints. The system supports SNOMED CT clinical terminology through Snowstorm, runs offline and on-premise without mandatory internet, and can be configured per hospital via XML and forms without code changes. RTL language support (Arabic) was added in 2025 through Next Medtech and IPLit with funding from WHO and the UK Royal Academy of Engineering.

Bahmni does not generate traditional SaaS revenue. The software is free and open source under MPL v2 with Healthcare Disclaimer and MIT (changed from AGPL v3 in November 2025). Direct funds for the Coalition come via donations channeled through OpenMRS Inc. Revenue mechanisms are indirect: paid implementation, configuration, training, and support services are delivered through a global network of certified partners including Thoughtworks, IntelliSOFT Consulting, Jembi Health Systems, IPLit Solutions, Nuchange Informatics, and Tattva Foundation. Customer segments are predominantly government health ministries (Lesotho, Bangladesh, Tanzania, India state-level), humanitarian NGOs (MSF, Partners In Health, CURE International, Gurkha Welfare Trust, Possible Health), and small rural providers, with go-to-market driven by community channels (OpenMRS Talk, Slack, Medium blog, GitHub, conferences) and partner-led deployment.

Name

Bahmni

Legal name

Bahmni Coalition (managed under OpenMRS Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization)

Website

https://bahmni.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bahmni is an open-source EMR and Hospital Management Information System that integrates OpenMRS, OpenELIS, Odoo, and PACS into a single configurable platform. It is deployed across 500+ hospitals in 50+ countries, serving government health ministries, humanitarian NGOs, and rural clinics in low-resource settings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospital Information System / Electronic Medical Records

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) (HLAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Healthcare Terminology, Ontology & Code Set Management (SNOMED/LOINC/ICD/RxNorm) (HLACAIAF)

Keywords

• Electronic medical records
• Hospital information system
• Open source healthcare
• Clinical management software
• Laboratory information system

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Open Source Software Distribution: Bahmni software is free and open source. The software can be downloaded freely and used by hospitals without licensing fees. The source code is available on GitHub.
2. Implementation Services: Implementation partners provide paid services including EMR/HIS consultancy, configuration and customization, end-user training, IT team training, and production support. Both coalition members and external organizations can charge for implementation services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Bahmni is an integrated, open-source Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) that combines and enhances OpenMRS (EMR/patient management), OpenELIS (laboratory), Odoo (inventory, billing, accounting), and PACS/DICOM (radiology imaging) into a single unified platform. It is designed for hospitals in low-resource settings, operates offline/on-premise without requiring internet connectivity, and is offered free with no licensing fees.

Product overview

Bahmni is an open-source Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) designed for hospitals in low-resource settings. It is a modular, integrated platform combining multiple open-source components: OpenMRS for EMR and patient management, OpenELIS Global for laboratory management, Odoo (formerly OpenERP) for ERP/billing/inventory, and PACS/DICOM for radiology imaging. The core Bahmni EMR product includes specialized modules for Registration, Clinical Services, Laboratory, Inpatient Management, Stock Management, Billing and Accounting, Reporting, and PACS Integration, all unified through REST/HL7 FHIR APIs. Bahmni Lite offers a lightweight variant for smaller facilities, while Bahmni Connect enables mobile access for field workers. SNOMED CT clinical terminology support is integrated via Snowstorm. The system is available as individual modules or as a complete integrated solution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bahmni EMR An open-source integrated Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) that unifies patient registration, clinical services, laboratory, inpatient management, stock management, billing and accounting, reporting, and PACS imaging. Targeted at hospitals and healthcare facilities in low-resource settings globally.
• Bahmni Lite A lightweight, open-source distribution of Bahmni specifically configured for clinics and smaller hospitals, with simplified deployment and reduced resource requirements.
• Bahmni Connect A mobile access module that enables field health workers and mobile health assistants to access patient health records on tablets and laptops during home visits and remote health camps.
• Bahmni Implementation Services Paid professional services delivered through a global network of certified implementation partners, including EMR/HIS consultancy, configuration and customization, end-user training, IT team training, and production support. Partners include Thoughtworks, IntelliSOFT, Jembi Health Systems, IPLit, and Nuchange Informatics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ hospital sites deployed in 50+ countries
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• OpenMRScoreTechnology or IntegrationOpenMRS serves as the core backend for Bahmni's EMR functionality. Bahmni is a distribution of OpenMRS, providing a frontend to the OpenMRS platform. OpenMRS Inc. provides fiscal sponsorship for the Bahmni Coalition as a 501(c)(3) non-profit. The Bahmni team is a significant contributor to OpenMRS core development.
• SNOMED InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSNOMED International joined the Bahmni Coalition in October 2023 to integrate Snowstorm terminology server and support SNOMED CT clinical terminology recording, enabling standardized clinical data across implementations.
• Odoo (formerly OpenERP)coreTechnology or IntegrationOdoo provides the ERP functionality for inventory, billing, and financial accounting in Bahmni's integrated hospital management system.
• OpenELIS GlobalcoreTechnology or IntegrationOpenELIS Global provides the laboratory management system integrated into Bahmni for managing laboratory tests, samples, and results.
• ThoughtworkscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThoughtworks built Bahmni starting in January 2013 as part of its social justice mission. Transferred ownership to Bahmni Coalition in October 2017 but remains a major contributor and GC member. Provides digital health architecture, strategy consulting, and implementation services globally.
• IntelliSOFT Consulting LimitedmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKenyan software development and consultancy firm specializing in digital health solutions for healthcare sector. Operating region: East Africa. Member of Bahmni Coalition Governing Committee.
• Jembi Health SystemsmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAfrican non-profit organization specializing in digital health, health software development, implementation, and interoperability. Operating region: Sub-Saharan Africa. Member of Bahmni Coalition Governing Committee.
• IPLit Solutions LLPmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIndian technology startup focusing on Healthcare IT, building services for healthcare information exchange. Operating region: Indian subcontinent and SE Asia.
• Nuchange InformaticsmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSoftware consulting firm focused on Health IT solutions, delivering Bahmni projects since 2014 across 6+ countries. Provides turnkey solutions, installations, trainings, workshops, and systems integrations.
• MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInternational medical humanitarian organization. Coalition member and Governing Committee member.
• Tattva FoundationmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFoundation implementing Bahmni in Nagaland, India as part of World Bank-supported Nagaland Health Project.
• Possible HealthmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNon-profit healthcare organization operating hospitals in Nepal. Coalition member and key implementer of Bahmni at Bayalpata Hospital.
• Next MedtechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSyrian social enterprise with 30+ clinicians and software developers who spearheaded the development of Bahmni RTL (Right-to-Left) Arabic language support, funded by WHO and UK RAEng.
• BeeHyvminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCoalition member organization supporting Bahmni development and implementation.
• Koita Centre for Digital Health - IIT BombayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic coalition member contributing to digital health research and Bahmni development.
• C-DACminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentre for Development of Advanced Computing, Ministry of Electronics and IT, India. Organized NRCeS Users' Meet & Expo 2026 where Bahmni was selected as one of four primary platforms to present to national audience.
• ICAPmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplemented Bahmni for Ministry of Health Lesotho starting May 2018, expanding from 6 pilot sites to all government hospitals.
• Partners In HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit healthcare organization involved in endTB observational study using Bahmni for multi-country clinical trial data tracking.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational medical humanitarian organization participating in endTB study using Bahmni for MDR-TB patient data tracking.
• Interactive Research & Development (IRD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch organization involved in endTB clinical trial using Bahmni across 17 countries.
• Mekom SolutionsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplemented Bahmni for The Lake Clinic Cambodia, a floating primary care center on Tonle Sap Lake.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Medic (Community Health Toolkit): Medic builds the open-source Community Health Toolkit used by community health workers in low-resource settings. It overlaps with Bahmni's Bahmni Connect mobile health worker offering and is a peer in the LMIC digital health space.
• Dimagi (CommCare): CommCare is an open-source mobile data collection and case management platform heavily used in global health programs in low-resource settings. It competes with Bahmni Connect for frontline health worker digitization contracts.
• OpenELIS: OpenELIS Global is the open-source laboratory information system integrated directly into Bahmni. As a standalone project it competes with other open-source LIMS in public health labs and is closely technically coupled with Bahmni.
• GNU Health: GNU Health is an open-source hospital and health information system with modules for EMR, lab, inpatient, and billing, with a strong user base in public-sector hospitals in the Global South. It is one of the closest direct peers to Bahmni in scope and target market.
• DHIS2: DHIS2 is the world's largest open-source health management information system, widely adopted by ministries of health in low- and middle-income countries. It is a direct functional peer at the aggregate health data level that Bahmni often complements or competes with.
• OpenMRS: OpenMRS is the open-source EMR platform that Bahmni is built on top of; Bahmni functions as a distribution of OpenMRS with an extended frontend, integrated ERP, lab, and PACS modules. Both target low-resource healthcare facilities globally.

Others

• Odoo: Odoo is the open-source ERP platform that Bahmni integrates for inventory, billing, and financial accounting. It is an enabling/adjacent technology component rather than a direct EMR competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Meditech: Meditech is an established hospital information system vendor offering integrated EMR, lab, and billing modules. It is a broad incumbent serving mid-sized hospitals with overlapping functional coverage to Bahmni.
• Oracle Health (formerly Cerner): Oracle Health is a major commercial EHR and hospital information system vendor serving large health systems. It is a broad incumbent relative to Bahmni in the EMR space, though it primarily addresses high-resource markets.
• Epic Systems: Epic is the dominant commercial EMR for large hospitals in high-resource markets. It represents the broader incumbent EHR space that Bahmni competes against conceptually, though Bahmni's low-resource niche is not Epic's core focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BahmniOrg
• GitHubgithub.com/bahmni
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6hTFy77jJ0dxhKeiA-Uy3A
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bahmni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bahmni