PGI Chandigarh to launch Smart Navigation App by year-end

Chandigarh: To streamline hospital services and reduce wait times, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) announced on Tuesday that it will soon launch a smart navigation app. The app will integrate real-time indoor mapping, QR code-based patient identification and crowd management features.

PGIMER Director Prof Vivek Lal, while unveiling an ambitious roadmap to redefine patient experience and hospital functioning, said that a smart mobile application has been developed in collaboration with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) Noida.

The app, expected to be launched by the end of this year, will integrate real-time indoor mapping, QR code-based patient identification and crowd management features to streamline hospital navigation and reduce wait times.

"This app will transform how we serve our patients and manage hospital systems. It is designed to make hospital visits smoother, more efficient and patient-friendly," said Prof Lal, flanked by Dean (Academics) Prof R K Ratho, Dean (Research) Prof Sanjay Jain and PGIMER Medical Superintendent Prof Vipin Koushal among others, news agency PTI reported.

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The PGIMER Director shared significant progress on the institute's digital transformation journey, including the complete digitization of the Hospital Information System, which now handles processes such as indenting and medicine procurement under schemes like Ayushman Bharat entirely online, ensuring greater transparency and efficiency.

Prof Lal elaborated on the PGIMER's robust infrastructure pipeline led by the Rs 987 crore Sarangpur Project that will house a new 100-seat Medical College, modern OPDs for 16,000 patients and a 200-bed emergency block.

Additional developments include an all-weather swimming pool for the staff and students, a Trolley Way to streamline patient transfers between high-traffic blocks and a Doctors' Cafeteria soon to open on the fourth floor of A Block.

Prof Lal emphasized that PGIMER is also addressing rising patient loads, especially in emergency and trauma care, by securing approval to recruit 300 ex-servicemen through outsourcing over the next four to five months to strengthen campus security.

Additionally, 82 new faculty members have been recruited strictly as per the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) norms, including EWS reservation, reinforcing the institute's commitment to transparency and meritocracy.

Prof Lal touched upon Project Sarathi, the PGIMER's flagship NSS student-led patient navigation initiative.

Now scaled across 34 states with over 6,400 active volunteers, the Sarathi based model has been green lit for expansion to 1,467 hospitals nationwide under MyBharat.gov.in.

The PGIMER's focus on affordable healthcare also continues, with nine AMRIT stores accounting for 85 per cent of all medicine sales on campus and a new AMRIT Pharmacy facility set to open near the Emergency Block to ensure uninterrupted access to subsidized medicines under Ayushman Bharat and PMJAY, he said, reports PTI.

Prof Lal further said the PGIMER is set to operationalize the OPD of the upcoming Advanced Neurosciences Centre within three months, with equipment procurement under review.

The implementation of 12-hour OT schedules has already resulted in a 30 to 40 per cent increase in surgeries, enhancing patient throughput.

Meanwhile, the construction of the Sarangpur satellite centre is progressing steadily, with completion expected in about three years.

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