Chandigarh, Oct 30 : Residents of the tri-city - comprising Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali -- will not have to rush to a hospital or clinic for routine ailments from now. A new facility, extended by a leading private hospital chain, will provide doctors, nursing attendants and physiotherapists for home visits.
The facility, Max@Home, initiated by Max Healthcare will bring medical expertise, comprising over 200 certified medical professionals and caregivers, including nurses, patient aids, physiotherapists, phlebotomists and physicians and patient-care to people in the comfort of their homes.
"The idea of Max@Home came from our observation of trends in the social fabric of the family system, which is especially observed in Punjab, where most of the geriatric population lives alone. Also, the disappearance of family doctors, especially in metros and urban centres, and people coming to tertiary hospitals for even basic healthcare services prompted us to initiate this," Rohit Kapoor, Senior Director and Chief Growth Officer, Max Healthcare, told IANS here.
The tri-city region has a combined population of around 1.6 million.
"The new venture in healthcare will facilitate real-time patient monitoring by connecting doctors, dedicated case managers, trained nursing staff and emergency services through an efficient technology infrastructure," Kapoor said, adding that the home visits would be backed up by state-of-the-art hospital services.
"We have forayed in to this new vertical starting with Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, to help patients in the tri-city recover faster and lead a comfortable life with independence and dignity. Max@Home is providing nursing care attendants, physiotherapists and doctors for home visits. We also arrange for home sample collection, free medicine delivery and facilitate medical equipment on rent," Sandeep Dogra, senior vice president, Max Hospitals-Punjab, told IANS.
With hospital-related infections becoming a major concern among patients, the new facility will help them recover fast in the safer environs of their respective homes.
"Patient care services would extend beyond nursing care to the treating doctor. A dedicated supervisor will update the treating clinician regularly about the progress of the patient. A weekly supervisor visit to ensure protocol adherence and a care plan designed with the treating clinician and team will be worked out.
"Comprehensive kits would be provided to support on-site requirements. The uniqueness of the services would be the infection control cover at home, where the surveillance culture testing would be done to ensure hygienic surroundings," said Vaibhav Poddar, senior vice president and head, Max@Home.
"The cost for the tests will depend upon the gravity of the patient's problem. For getting nursing assistance, the patient will pay between Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,000 per day for a 12-hour shift. For physiotherapy, the patient would be charged between Rs 700 and Rs 900 per visit. The prices for pathology services would vary according to the test which is to be undertaken, with no additional charges for sample collection. X-Rays would be carried out by trained technicians on a portable 20-kg machine by next month," Poddar added.
Among the services being offered, the X-Ray will be helpful for patients who are immobile due to illness or disability or at high risk.
"The unique feature of these services would be the availability of medical equipment at home which is a new feature in the region. Max@Home will offer a wide range of products, including orthotics, patient beds, resuscitation devices, etc. There would be usage flexible -- the option of renting and buying and service support," said Sunit Aggarwal, GM Operations, Max Hospital-Mohali.
The Max@Home would also provide for free home delivery of authentic medicines, while also ensuring reminders for patients with repeat medication requirements.
(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)
