PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
In view of tackling the increased patient load, the administration of the Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) Hospital has expanded the registration and billing counters to a total of 14 within the premises.
The medical superintendent of GDMC Hospital, Dr R S Bisht said that over time, there has been a noticeable increase in footfall at the GDMC Hospital, particularly in the outpatient department (OPD), where daily attendance has reached 2,400 or more. However, this increase has also resulted in longer waiting times for patients seeking registration and other services. To address this issue and reduce waiting periods, several measures have recently been implemented, Bisht said.
He stated that at present, the hospital, encompassing the OPD, IPD, emergency services and other areas, has only 11 counters for billing and registration. To facilitate this process for patients, the number of counters is being increased to 14.
Bisht further said that, in addition to these changes, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of OPD patients. In light of this, they have established billing and registration counters on three floors of the OPD building, with plans to add another counter on an additional floor soon. Earlier the said counters were only at the ground floor of the OPD building.
Now, counters have been established on the ground floor, first floor and third floor, with plans to set up an additional counter on either the second or fourth floor. A decision regarding which floor will house the new counter will be made after an evaluation. Further, it has been emphasised that the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) app has been properly implemented within the hospital premises. While this initiative existed previously, recent efforts have ensured its effective execution. A counter dedicated to 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 and obtain a printed appointment confirmation from the hospital. Bisht said that all these measures have been implemented to manage the increased patient influx and reduce waiting times for patients at the hospital.
