Thane: Thane Municipal Corporation's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital has been on an upgrade drive. In the new year, patients seeking treatment will be given a number of admittance to form an online database. This number will enable doctors to access the patient's medical history with just a click.Keeping up with the management systems of bigger hospitals, this initiative will ease the process of delivering treatment, making Kalwa Hospital the first one in Thane to do so. This hospital's OPD receives around 2000-2200 patients a day and it holds the capacity for 550 beds. The hospital was mired in controversy when in August nearly 17 of its patients lost their in 24 hours.
The municipality had then decided to take radical steps to change the hospital. This included a focus on sanitation, providing a pleasant environment to the patients, and increasing bed capacity to 1000. They have also worked on reducing their waiting period by increasing the number of admittance windows which has seemed to benefit the patients.
Previously, the patients were given physical case papers which would then have to be carried around while waiting for their number. Patients would be then required to obtain new case papers if they visit months later. This would pose several problems for the management in terms of accessing the patient's medical history, and delaying treatment.
However, the hospital has decided to keep up with the times and upgrade its systems. In the new year, patients coming to the OPD will be given a single token or registration number. This number will serve as a permanent marker of the patient's identity. Their records will then get added under the number and could be accessed anytime in the future to obtain their medical records. Not only will save the hassle of taking a new case paper for the patients but it will be greatly useful to the hospital staff to quickly take action in times of emergency. Thane Municipality's Health Department will be undertaking this initiative of digitalising the patient database in the coming year.