KOLKATA: Patients or their families will no more have to wait in serpentine queues at the teaching hospitals to get test reports. They can access the reports online using their mobiles. For those who do not have smartphones, some hospitals have set up special kiosks from where the reports can be collected.
The state health department has introduced an online system to access lab test reports. The computerised facility is currently available for outdoor patients at all the five teaching medical colleges in Kolkata and partially for those admitted at some hospitals. Once the project starts running smoothly, the health department plans to take the service to other government-run hospitals as well. Test reports that require confidentiality, like that of HIV/AIDS, are, however, not being made available online for now.
People have to open http://onlinehmis.wbhealth.gov.in/ and click on the ‘online test report’ section. There, they have to key in details, like the patient’s name, registration number, age and gender for the report. “This is a new initiative and so, we may face technical glitches initially. We will wait for the system to run smoothly before expanding the facility to other hospitals,” said Ajay Chakraborty, director, health services.
While patients have the option of accessing the reports from their registered mobile numbers, the ones who do not have smartphones will be informed about the availability of the reports on their registered mobile numbers. They can collect the reports from the central lab of the respective hospitals, an official said. The likes of Medical College and Hospital (MCH) has started special computer-equipped kiosks, where families can visit and provide the patient’s details, including name and registration number, and get the reports. “People can approach these kiosks even at night, when the central laboratory is closed,” said Indranil Biswas, medial superintendent and viceprincipal at MCH.
