Token system to end queues at PGI's Advanced Cardiac Centre

Naina Mishra

Chandigarh, January 15

In order to save patients the ordeal of waiting in long queues for registration, the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGI) has installed a vending machine at the Advanced Cardiac Centre through which they can generate a token.

This token will enable the patients to get their registration card made after a slip bearing a number is generated by the vending machine.

After obtaining the token, patients can relax in the waiting area for the token number to flash on the display. Once the number appears on the screen, they can approach the window for registration.

On any given day, the cardiac centre witnesses a huge rush of patients, who start queuing up outside the OPD registration counter as early as 6 am.

The patients can now generate a token from the vending machine and when the OPD registration counter opens, the same can be shown at the counter to get the card made. This way, patients will no longer have to stand in the queue for long periods of time.

“Once the new hospital software is introduced, the manual token system will be integrated with the online software through which patients will be able to get token for doctor’s room as well. So far, the token system is being worked out at the advanced eye and cardiac centres to reduce queues,” says Prof Vivek Lal, Director, PGI.

The institute is also planning to have a patient mobile application that will have the facility of provisional out-patient department (OPD) registration, special clinic appointment, patient queue status, investigation report view, online payment and mobile payment. Besides, there will be a ‘doctor desk’ mobile application, containing OPD prescription scanning, patient report view, investigation and treatment order and a doctor’s dashboard.

In the later stage of the implementation of the project, a digital token system will be introduced through the mobile application.

How it will work

• Vending machine will generate a slip/token bearing a number to patients arriving for registration
• They can then relax in the waiting area for the token number to flash on display screen
• Once the number appears on the screen, they can approach the window for registration
• Every day, the centre witnesses a huge rush of patients, who queue up as early as 6 am

More on the cards at PGI

Patient mobile app

• Provisional OPD registration
• Special clinic appointment
• Patient queue status
• Investigation report view

Doctor desk app

• OPD prescription scanning
• Patient report view
• Investigation/treatment order
• Doctor’s dashboard

Working on hospital software

Once hospital software is introduced, manual token system will be integrated with online system, allowing patients to get token for doctor’s room as well. Token system is currently being worked out at eye and cardiac centres to reduce queues. — Prof Vivek Lal, Director, PGI