Karnataka: Govt Hospitals to soon go online with patient registrations

Bengaluru: In view of the long queue of patients at the district government hospitals across the state, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said that online patient registration, appointments and digital payments would be started in a month. He added that the taluk hospitals would also use the same technique.

The initiative will reduce the number of patients waiting in a long queue for treatments. This will also prevent unnecessary chaos in the hospitals and allow them to focus more on the patient's medical care.

After the visit to the Jayanagara government hospital, the health minister told reporters that staff members had been instructed to provide appointments via SMS or online to lessen congestion.

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"This measure is being put into place to reduce long queues. Patients will receive information on which doctor to see and when via SMS or the Internet as part of a system that is currently being developed. Patients won't have to visit the hospital and wait there. Any patient visiting the district hospitals may schedule a visit and make a payment online," Sudhakar said.

The Health Minister visited each ward of the hospital and gathered information about the quality of service in the hospital from patients.

Later in development, Sudhakar announced a grant of Rs 5 crore to the Jayanagara government hospital following a discussion with the officials for repair works.

The administrators have been directed to take the required steps to guarantee that the Jayanagara government hospital meets the national quality standards (NQS), he said.

"We need to do this to improve the level of service. I shall return in the future to see if the goal has been reached," he added.

A 51-bed ICU was built here after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and more staff will be hired to ensure proper operation, he said.

"I've emailed the Finance Department a request for appointments of permanent employees. Despite having four Orthopedic specialists, only 40 procedures are taking place in the hospital. This number needs to be increased to 100," he asserted.

Additionally, he said, a conference would be convened amongst several departments to improve coordination.

He further added that the maternity department has received several complaints, and staff members have been ordered to make improvements. Each department's in-charge has been given particular goals and is required to maintain a standard of care that will entice patients to use government hospitals rather than private ones.

A doctor on a contract was accused of accepting bribes. Even before the investigation's findings are released, the officials have been told to fire that doctor from his position, Sudhakar said.

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