AIIMS Bilaspur launches Aapat Setu to streamline emergency patient referrals
Bilaspur: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bilaspur, on Tuesday launched 'Aapat Setu', an innovative digital emergency referral platform conceptualised by a Class IX student. The platform enables hospitals to share details of critically ill patients with specialists even before the patient reaches the referral centre.
The platform was virtually inaugurated by Narendra Kumar Arora, Chairman of AIIMS Bilaspur, under the guidance of Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda, alongside the launch of AIIMS Bilaspur's new bilingual official website.
According to an ANI report, the innovation has been developed by Darsh Verma, a 14-year-old student of DAV School, Bilaspur, and son of Dr. Dinesh Verma. Inspired by challenges observed in emergency healthcare, Darsh designed the platform to address delays in treatment caused by the absence of timely medical information when critically ill patients are referred from district and regional hospitals to AIIMS.
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'Aapat Setu' allows referring hospitals to upload a critically ill patient's clinical history, investigation reports, treatment details and current health status in real time. The concerned specialists at the referral hospital receive instant SMS alerts, enabling them to prepare operation theatres, diagnostic facilities, medical equipment and specialist teams before the patient arrives.
Speaking to ANI, Darsh Verma said, "The objective of 'Aapat Setu' is to ensure that doctors receive complete medical information before a patient reaches the hospital. Since specialists receive SMS alerts in advance, necessary arrangements for treatment can be made during the patient's travel itself. This can significantly reduce delays in emergency care and help save lives."
He further said, "At present, the platform can connect around 100 to 200 hospitals. We are working to expand it to thousands of hospitals in the future. Upcoming versions will also support transmission of patient photographs and additional clinical information, making the platform even more effective for emergency care."
Darsh said the idea emerged after discussions with his father regarding the difficulties faced when critically ill patients are referred to AIIMS without complete medical records. He added that the platform seeks to bridge this information gap and improve preparedness before the patient's arrival.
According to AIIMS Bilaspur, the institute has recommended the platform to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for implementation across all AIIMS institutions in the country, considering its potential to strengthen emergency referral systems and improve patient outcomes.
Speaking to ANI, Dr. Dinesh Verma, Senior Physician and Medical Superintendent, AIIMS Bilaspur, said, "'Aapat Setu' is designed to reduce the critical time lost in emergency referrals. When patient information reaches specialists in advance, the required doctors, operation theatres, investigations and equipment can be kept ready before the patient arrives. This significantly improves emergency preparedness and can help save precious lives."
He added, "The platform has immense scalability. While it currently supports integration with hundreds of hospitals, it can be expanded across the healthcare network. AIIMS Bilaspur has recommended its adoption across all AIIMS institutions, and we believe it can eventually serve as a national model for digital emergency referrals."
AIIMS Bilaspur also launched its new bilingual official website, designed in both Hindi and English to improve accessibility and transparency for patients, students, researchers and the general public.
The new portal provides comprehensive information on departments, specialist doctors, OPD and IPD services, academic programmes, recruitment, tenders, citizen services, institutional activities and important announcements through a user-friendly interface.
According to the institute, 'Aapat Setu' will gradually integrate hospitals, emergency services and healthcare professionals into a unified digital network. Once hospitals across Himachal Pradesh are connected, the platform will offer a real-time dynamic dashboard displaying the availability of specialist services and vacant hospital beds, enabling faster and better coordinated patient referrals during emergencies.
Hospitals can register on the platform by visiting www.aapatsetu.in using their institutional email ID, phone number, institution name and a password.
The institute added that AIIMS Bilaspur caters to lakhs of patients from Himachal Pradesh as well as neighbouring Punjab, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. Within just over three years of becoming operational, the institute has fully commissioned its 750-bed capacity and now treats more than 1,500 patients daily. Plans are also underway to expand inpatient capacity to nearly 960 beds in view of the increasing patient load.
Academically, AIIMS Bilaspur has successfully graduated its first MBBS batch, while around 900 students are currently pursuing their medical, nursing and paramedical programmes. It is also expanding super-speciality healthcare services and research-based education.
The AIIMS Chairman thanked Union Health Minister JP Nadda, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the state administration and the entire AIIMS Bilaspur team for their support, expressing confidence that the new bilingual website and 'Aapat Setu' platform would accelerate digital healthcare delivery and make health services more transparent, accessible and efficient across the region.
