By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 24 Apr: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today asserted that the state government and health department are working seriously to provide accessible and good health facilities to the pilgrims during the Char Dham Yatra. He added that the Health ATMs being installed on travel routes and remote areas would prove to be extremely beneficial for the travellers and the local people. Health ATM technology is one of the most important developments in the medical profession to provide accessible and affordable primary and preventive health services to the people. It is going to bridge the gap between urban and rural healthcare and improve the overall health of people in remote areas, Dhami claimed.
Dhami was addressing the gathering today at a function held at his official residence after inaugurating 50 health ATMs to be provided under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Hewlett Packard Company on Char Dham Yatra routes. On this occasion, an MoU was signed between the Health Department and Hewlett Packard Enterprises to also install 25 health ATMs in the Kumaon region for the Mansarovar Yatra. The CM said that, so far, more than 1,700 people have got their health check-up done through Health ATMs installed recently in different parts of the state. People are getting the benefit of Health ATMs. He reminded that smooth operation and maintenance of the health ATMs installed is also necessary. The Chief Minister added that it is necessary to have accessible medical facilities on the Char Dham Yatra routes. Health guidelines have been issued by the Health Department for Char Dham Yatris, which are to be followed on a mandatory basis. Along with this, the pilgrims should also stay updated about the weather and proceed with their journey accordingly.
Hewlett Packard Enterprises has installed 50 cloud enabled Health Kiosks (Health ATMs) at Char Dham pilgrimage sites to provide easy and affordable healthcare services. These Health ATMs are one-stop digital touch point integrated machines to provide tele-medicine services to the pilgrims during their Char Dham Yatra. The main objective of these health kiosks is to facilitate access to primary health care for the pilgrims as well as local public in remote areas during their visit. Health Kiosk is a touch screen hardware designed for managing health information and allows people to access their personal diagnostic health information round the clock through any internet connected web browser.
The machine can instantly report over 70 medical tests including patient’s height, weight, body temperature, blood glucose, blood pressure, invasive and non-invasive blood tests, heart checks and oxygen saturation levels within fifteen minutes. It can also help patients consult for the best treatment from specialist and certified doctors and hospitals through its telemedicine consultation facility. These machines have a power backup of up to three hours. The 50 health kiosks have already been deployed on the “Char Dham Marg” from Haridwar onwards.
Secretary, Health, Dr R Rajesh Kumar, Additional Secretary Amandeep Kaur, Director General, Health, Dr Vinita Shah, MD, HPE, Som Satsangi, HPE CSR Head Sushil Bhatla and other senior officers were present on the occasion.
