JOIN USThe web kiosks installed at the AIIMS almost a month back now is attracting between 100-150 patients every day who are booking appointments through this new system.
Staff from the consultancy firm which has been roped in for the installation of the kiosks is currently helping out patients in handling the technology.
The web kiosks have been installed outside the OPD area so that patients are aware of the new system of booking future appointments when they visit the hospital premises.
“Currently, 100-150 patients come here seeking appointments across various departments. The figures have improved from before as most people are learning about the system through word of mouth,” said a staff of Tata Consultancy Services, which is providing the technical support for the project.
“A significant number of people are also learning about it when they visit the OPDs. This will help divert the huge traffic of patients at the hospital,” the staff said.
Staff to assist
Currently, staff from this firm is helping out patients. Soon, there will be a full-fledged team constituted by the AIIMS who will be responsible to help out patients with handling the technology, said an AIIMS official.
Manual booking
With patients from all economic backgrounds coming to AIIMS, not everyone is techno-savvy.
So despite several technological interventions by the hospital to divert the booking traffic, the footfall for seeking appointments is still high.
The web kiosks are currently handling bookings across various departments barring a few.
“We are not handling OPD bookings for cardiology, neurology, oncology and dental,” said the staff of the consultancy firm.
For some departments, the waiting period is till four months. “For orthopaedics OPD, people are getting appointments only after nearly four months,” said another staff at the kiosk.
Recently, the AIIMS had launched an online service which integrated the Unique Identification Number (UID) or Aadhar number provided by the government with the Unique Health Identification Number (UHID) given to patients by AIIMS. This facilitates bookings without visiting the hospital even once.