Chandigarh, March 21 — A month after the launch of the Digi Seva service at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) for the skin, orthopaedics, and endocrinology departments, follow-up patients are still unable to avail its benefits due to delays in implementation.
Encouraged by the success of Digi Seva at its Liver Clinic, PGIMER announced its expansion on February 15. The system offers benefits such as priority consultations, seamless online appointment booking, automated notifications, and improved hospital workflow, reducing administrative burdens and enhancing patient care.
However, patients say the service is yet to take off. Indu, a follow-up patient in the orthopaedics department, said she was unaware of any such system. “I reached here around 9 am, and it took me two hours to get a stamp on my central registration (CR) number card. I then waited further for my turn. There were no separate queues or rooms for follow-ups,” she said while waiting for Dr. Sandeep Patel’s consultation in room 2006.
Digi Seva was first introduced as a pilot project at the Liver Clinic, run by the hepatology department, on January 10. Within a month, around 450 patients registered through the system, demonstrating its effectiveness.
An official PGIMER spokesperson said the online registration for follow-up patients is running smoothly in the hepatology department. “The other three departments are still in the process of implementation. There are technicalities involved that we are working on,” the spokesperson added.
