Authorities of the Siliguri District Hospital (SDH) are all set to implement the e-prescription system for patients visiting the hospital.
This new digital initiative will ensure that medical records of all patients visiting the hospital are available online to help with better management and quicker access to patient information.
Earlier this week, Gautam Deb, the mayor of Siliguri and chairman of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti of the hospital, had a meeting with the hospital authorities on different issues of the state-run healthcare establishment.
Later, he confirmed to reporters that the new system would be introduced soon.
“E-prescriptions will be issued by the hospital soon. All details related to a patient's treatment will be recorded digitally. This will enable doctors to access previous medical records instantly and will improve the efficiency of the treatment,” said Deb.
Sources said that some state-run medical colleges and hospitals in Bengal have already implemented this system.
In North Bengal Medical College & Hospital (NBMCH), the largest state-run referral hospital in the region, the surgery and medicine departments have started using e-prescriptions and efforts are underway to introduce the same in other departments.
“At the district hospital, the system will first be introduced to ensure that all admitted patients’ treatment details are online. X-ray reports and blood test results will be uploaded to the system once ready. Once the system is in place, doctors can view the reports directly on their desktop,” said a source.
“ Moreover, patients' families will receive messages on their cell phones. It will have a link to download the reports. This initiative will eliminate the need for repeated visits to the hospital’s laboratories and will speed up the treatment,” the source added.
Deb also stated that to implement this system, the hospital is setting up a Local Area Network (LAN), to enhance internet connectivity, and is also installing new computers.
The hospital handles around 2,000 patients in the outpatient departments each day.
SDH authorities said they are also working to build a childcare hub for better maternal and child healthcare services.
“An area behind the hospital has been identified for this purpose. A detailed project report will soon be submitted to the state health department for approval” said an official.