27 PHCs in Bengaluru will be upgraded to digital multi-speciality clinics

Twenty-seven primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Bengaluru will soon be upgraded to digital multi-speciality clinics where specialist doctors will attend to patients.

Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan held a meeting with BBMP health officials recently to decide on the tenders for the upgrade, which will complement the existing facilities at the PHCs.

Officials present at the meeting said digitising health services will reduce social contact. In addition to the existing services at the PHCs, patients will be able to consult the specialist doctors. In the first phase, each Assembly segment in the city will have one digitised PHC. This would be extended to other PHCs later.

A patient should be able to walk into the enhanced PHC, register with the Aadhaar card and get connected by the digital clinic centre to the specialist concerned in the 'E-Command Health Center' for diagnostics, examination, prescription and other services.

Tenders in a week

Tenders for upgrading the 27 PHCs are expected to be called in a week. A fully integrated telehealth platform will also seamlessly integrate real-time patient data with enhanced analytics for a comprehensive treatment approach.

“This would result in over 60% reduction in bed days, admissions and costs,” an official said.

“This will also result in over 90% reduction in the use of the emergency department by patients with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and diabetes, besides over 80% reduction in the 30-day COPD readmissions,” the official added.

The meeting also discussed establishing a diagnostic centre at Malleswaram.