‘Digitisation of patient care system needed’

NEW DELHI: The DDC has proposed a plan to digitise the entire patient care system, in such as way that every patient is given a unique number which will help the hospital to track the patient’s movement.

The think-tank also said that help from a third-party digital consultancy organisation would help improve the infrastructure.

“The system is already working at major hospitals

like AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital. We visited both hospitals and found that e-hospital @NIC system is most apt for Delhi government hospitals. Half-hearted attempts to roll-out the e-hospital @ NIC at GB Pant were made in 2015, but due to lack of leadership both at the Secretariat and at the hospital level, the project has not taken off,” the report observed about digitisation proposal.

The report also noted that AIIMS has a separate wellventilated and well-lit area designated for OPD registration, with friendly patient care coordinators sitting behind well-designed counters.

“The patients walk in the OPD registration room through Q-manager tapes, guided by patient care coordinators and get the OPD slip issued. We can similarly redesign our OPD counters,” the report noted.

It added that after involving a private company, many changes took place at AIIMS. “Waiting time of patients drastically reduced from six hours to two. A new waiting hall, with 2,550 additional seating capacity was created; older halls refurbished – a total of 4,050 patients comfortably seated through the OPD journey; and 120 patient-care coordinators introduced for patients’ assistance and guidance,” the report noted.