Odisha to strengthen help desks in govt medical colleges, hospitals
Nov 18, 2022
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], November 18 : Following directions of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for making universal clinical care under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana more accessible for common people, Secretary Health and Family Welfare Shalini Pandit has directed Superintendents of all government medical colleges and hospitals (MCHs) to strengthen help desk system in their respective institutions.
Issuing the directions on Thursday, Pandit said, "Learning from Covid-19 showed that informing the attendants/relatives about the patients' updated health condition was of crucial importance for mitigating their anxiety".
She added that such a system would also be "be quite helpful to the relatives, attendants of the patients in ICU, HDU of government MCHs where access of others is restricted".
According to an official statement, the Superintendents of MCHs were directed to regularize the functioning of the helpdesks by nominating one Senior Nursing Officer as Swasthya Sanjoak. Pandit made it clear that the Nursing Officer with having suitable attitude and aptitude might be nominated for the purpose.
"Swasthya Sanajoak 'will act as a link between the hospital and patients' family/attendants' for dissemination of updated information about treatment and health condition of the indoor patients," the statement said.
"It may be pertinent to mention that earlier Government had engaged Swasthya Sahayaks in all the private hospitals empanelled under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) for facilitating cashless treatment to poor patients enrolled under BSKY. As of now, these Swasthya Sahayaks are operating in 402 privately empanelled hospitals in different districts of the State. The system functioned well as the number of patients getting cashless treatment in private hospitals showed a constant increase. With dedicated Swasthya Sanjojak in Govt MCHs, felt-need of the people would be met thereby providing a fillip to the universal health care under BSKY," it added.
