Ludhiana, December 6
SPS Apollo Hospitals has provided a free wireless Internet access to all its visitors, including patients and their attendants. It was launched here today. The facility has been provided so that patients can stay connected with their family members.
Mr Jugdiep Singh, Director of the hospital, along with Mr S.K. Nigam, General Manager, Telecom, jointly inaugurated this facility on the hospital premises. With the facility being commissioned, the patients and their attendants will now have approximately 9 acre of free-wireless Internet access within the hospital, in lawns, and in the parking areas as well.
According to Mr Nigam, the wireless Internet connectivity has been provided by BSNL through broadband connection and Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity Network ) technology, which is relatively a new phenomenon that helps in easy and fast way to go online in a wireless mode. The technique worked on 2.4 GHZ radio frequency spectrum within 100 m radius.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Jugdiep Singh said patients and other visitors to the hospital would be able to use their personal laptops, PDAs, or other hand-held devices to access the Internet via Apollo's public wireless network. "The wireless service is especially beneficial to patients, their families and friends who need to remain in the hospital for an extended period of time and want a way to keep up with personal or work-related activities," he said .
Mr Balihar Singh, Head, Systems
Department, Apollo, informed that Wi-Fi coverage of the entire hospital was done in two phases. The first phase covered ground floor and the first floor, central lobby and took one month for completion. The second phase covered the remaining floors, multiple lobbies and terraces, as also the lawns and parking areas. The hospital was connected to a 1Mbps broadband line of BSNL.
In his introduction to the new facility, Dr S.P. Singh, COO, made it clear that the Internet access was totally separate from the hospital's computer network to ensure privacy and security. "Our patient population has become more computer literate. We also know that many of these people use the Internet to access information about health and wellness, something that may increase during a hospital stay."
Dr Singh said an informative pamphlet will be made available at the registration department of the hospital that will provide detailed instructions for making the connection. "Patients and visitors must possess their own wireless devices to access the network as the institution will not provide the same," he said.
