Govt plans digital platform for priority appts of cancer patients

Bhubaneswar: Suspected cancer patients and people who are already undergoing treatment for cancer will no longer need to stand in long queues in top govt hospitals for consultation, diagnosis and treatment, as the state govt is planning to create a digital platform for priority booking of appointments for these people.Patients’ appointments can be booked at their nearby district headquarters hospital (DHH). After the appointment is booked, the patients can approach the tertiary care hospital at the appropriate time slot. It will reduce their unnecessary travel and waiting time at the hospitals. They will come out of the fear of missing the OPD consultation, diagnosis and treatment, said the official sources.National Informatics Centre (NIC), a govt agency, will develop this digital platform for this purpose.

“If a doctor at any DHH found any cancer-related symptom in a patient, the doctor or hospital staff will arrange teleconsultation with an oncologist from a tertiary care hospital. If required, the patient’s appointment with the tertiary care hospital will be booked digitally for further course of action,” said an official of the health and family welfare department.Teleconsultation will be available for cancer patients who are taking follow up treatment.

After the appointment is booked, the patient will get the date and time of the appointment, diagnosis or treatment. The appointment will be booked in 3 categories—emergency care, priority diagnosis and general OPD, said official sources.“The tertiary care hospitals are SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack; MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur; VIMSAR, Burla; Acharya Harihar PG Institute of Cancer (AHPGIC), Cuttack; and AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

These institutions will be hubs and DHHs will be spokes to provide cancer care for these patients,” said Susanta Kumar Swain, additional director (non-communicable disease), health and family welfare department.He said patients will not travel to the top hospitals without any certainty of getting a doctor’s appointment or receiving a token for diagnosis. “After implementation of the digital solution, everything will be booked beforehand for a smooth and easy experience at the hospitals for the cancer patients,” he added.The digital platform will also show the vacancy of hospital beds, doctors on duty and the status of diagnosis facilities, said official sources.Recently, health minister Mukesh Mahaling said they are focusing on early diagnosis of cancer patients. “Awareness should be created among people about the early signs or symptoms of cancer. So that they can visit nearby hospitals or oncologists and go for further diagnosis and treatment,” said the minister in a meeting recently.