QR-based patient registration fails to cut queues at Bengaluru government hospitals

Bengaluru: The lack of a uniform patient registration system across government hospitals in Bengaluru has led to long waiting hours.

Long lines are a common sight at most government hospitals in the city.

In 2022, the Health Department introduced a fast-tracked QR-based registration system for patients to register by scanning a code. Patients had to share their personal and demographic information with the hospital. This initiative aimed to ensure correct details and reduce long queues.

Initially, the project started at CV Raman Hospital in Indiranagar and was later extended to Jayanagar General Hospital and KC General Hospital. However, the initiative has faced problems as the technology is complicated for most users. With large numbers of incoming patients, self-registration has made little impact.

Under the system, a patient must enter the ABHA or Ayushman Bharat Health Account number, after which the information is filled automatically.

If the patient does not have an ABHA number, they must register on the official website, which requires an Aadhaar number and the OTP sent to the registered number.

Speaking to DH, Dr Surendra KS, Medical Superintendent, Jayanagar General Hospital, said, “The patients comprise mainly senior citizens and people who are not very adept with the use of technology. They have trouble accessing the self-registration. Many bring different devices and numbers not registered with Aadhaar and they do not get the OTP, which creates more trouble. The younger patients are more aligned to using this technology.”

Patients are also facing problems such as server downtime and selecting the wrong department for OPD consultation, leading to administrative issues.

Regarding the self-registration system, Dr KS Rajesh, Medical Superintendent of CV Raman Hospital, told DH, “We have around 1,500 patients every day. No matter how fast registrations are done, the queues and crowd only get longer. The crowd subsides only after 2 pm.”

At major hospitals under the Medical Education Department, such as Victoria Hospital and Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, queues are also a challenge for patients.

Dr Kavya ST, Director and Dean of Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute, told DH, “Victoria Hospital uses an e-office system for OPD and IPD, but sometimes, due to repeated server downtime and slow internet connections, we run into problems, which lead to longer queues.”

Long queues at government hospital in the city as patients await treatment.