Tendering process to set up virtual multi-speciality clinics at primary health centres (PHCs) in Bengaluru is set to start within a week.
This was decided at a meeting of Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayana with BBMP health officials on Tuesday. The facility would enable patients avail of the services of specialists in addition to the existing services available in the PHCs.
One such centre will be established in each legislative constituency of the city in the first phase. Later, this would be extended to all the PHCs in the city.
BBMP officials felt the time is conducive for enhanced digitisation of health services in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As per the proposed model, any patient could walk into a PHC and get registered by providing the Aadhaar card. The digital clinic centre would connect the patient to the specialists concerned who would be in the E-Command Health Centre. Later, this would enable diagnostics, doctor’s examination, the release of prescription, and other services.
“This would result in over 60% reduction in bed days, admissions and costs. Over 90% decrease in emergency department use by CHF (congestive heart failure), COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and diabetic patients. Over 80% reduction in 30-day COPD readmissions,” according to an official release.
