PHCs set for a digital shift, tokens to replace papers

NASHIK: The health department of the zilla parishad is planning to go paperless and introduce the token system at its primary health centres to have a database of its patients and help medical officers in terms of future references. The system is already functioning in Ahmednagar and Thane districts.
The token system would involve issuing of a unique number to a patient upon his or her visit at the PHC.The computers of the pharmacist and medical officer would have a software installed and linked together. Once details of a patient are saved during his first visit, he would get the unique code.
The entire details of a patient in a particular primary health centre would be fed to the software. The details would include patient’s history, symptoms diagnosed with, earlier disease that he was diagnosed with, health and diseases diagnosed among his family members and other necessary details like age, sex, address, height, weight, along with profile photo, district health officer Sushil Wakchaure said.
Once the details are fed, the unique ID would be generated and issued to the patient for future reference. “A patient diagnosed with a disease and prescribed medicines would be registered immediately. The details would then be forwarded to the pharmacist located outside the PHC. The patient would just have to mention his unique ID provided by the doctor, which would be referred to by the pharmacist. The patient would then be provided with the prescribed medicine,” the officer said.
“On the next visit, the patient would just have to inform the unique ID. Once it’s loaded in the software, the case details would be on display. This will make it easier for the medical officers to know and understand treatment provided to the patient earlier and the next line of medication that has be provided. There are instances of a patient misplacing prescriptions. The news new system will help avoid such circumstances,” he added.
To start with, the health department would launch the token system with PHCs such as Bramangaon, Mohadi, Shinde, Babli, Belgaon Kure, Karanjali, Naribej, Lohanar, Amboli, Andarsul, Uswad, Kasbe Sakune, Saundane, Naygaon and Hiswal. Once successful, the same practice would be replicated in other PHCs of the district.