PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
With the hospital administration having introduced an online registration process at the OPD for specific treatments under Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), several of the patients and their attendants, found standing in queues at the offline registration counter of Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) hospital, said that both the online and offline registration options should continue. Notably, the GDMC administration has recently introduced the ABHA app, which facilitates online registration for patients at the OPD for certain treatments. “We hope that the hospital administration will not make online registration mandatory for all at the OPD in the future. This may land the elderly people like us who do not have a smartphone in problem,” said a septuagenarian waiting for his turn for a registration slip for the OPD.
The hospital administration had said that they had implemented the ABHA app to reduce the patient load at the OPD. Although this initiative was previously available, recent efforts have ensured its effective execution. A dedicated counter for this service has been set up at the OPD building and scanners for ABHA app registration have been installed at every registration and billing counter. This allows patients to scan and complete their online registration for specific treatments at the OPD and obtain a printed appointment confirmation from the hospital.
Importantly, the hospital administration has not made online registration through the ABHA app compulsory and offline registration remains available, as it was before this initiative.
A patient Jagmohan Singh said that during his visit to the OPD for a check-up on Thursday, he had noticed the introduction of online registration through the ABHA app in addition to the existing offline registration. “But I prefer offline registration. It is much simpler. I feel the online system is not suitable for senior citizens, women or individuals without smartphones. Although there is an ABHA counter for those who cannot register on their own, the process proves lengthy and more challenging than the offline option. I believe the current option of both online and offline registration is good, but I hope the administration doesn’t consider making online registration compulsory in the future” he said.
Another patient, Savita Devi appreciated the hospital’s new efforts, though she stated her preference for the offline registration. “Honestly, I find online registration difficult. This is good for youngsters but not so good who are above 40 like me,” she added.
A patient’s attendee, Vishal Tiwari shared that he opted for the online registration using the newly introduced ABHA app at GDMC hospital. “I am, however, of the view that both the online and offline registration options should remain available,” he said, adding that the hospital administration should not do away with the existing offline registration system.
