Prayagraj: With Ayushman Arogya Mandirs emerging as lifeline of healthcare services in rural pockets of the state, availability of online medical consultations and diagnostic services — accessible to villagers right within their own localities — has conclusively demonstrated their utility. To digitise and fortify the healthcare system, state govt is now set to utilise the ‘ODK (open data kit) App’ to collect and consolidate real-time data generated daily by Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.Additional director of health (Prayagraj), Dr Rakesh Sharma, said all Ayushman Arogya Mandirs within the division are currently being integrated into the system. This will enable collection of real-time diagnostic data for every patient, thereby facilitating individual patient monitoring and aiding in formulation of state-level healthcare monitoring policies.The initiative is poised to prove useful in multiple ways and act as a game-changer. Dr Harit Saxena, divisional project manager for National Health Mission, explains that the system will provide govt live data reflecting ground-level realities. The app also offers solution to the Internet connectivity challenges often faced in rural areas. Furthermore, adoption of a digital medium will significantly enhance transparency, enabling the rapid retrieval of information regarding which specific diseases are prevalent in a particular region, as well as precise requirements for medicines and medical staff.Currently, 1,114 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are operational in rural areas of the Prayagraj division and process of integrating them with ODK platform has already commenced. The network includes 521 centres in Prayagraj district, 228 in Pratapgarh, 229 in Fatehpur and 136 in Kaushambi district.Additionally, rural population is benefiting from ‘e-Sanjeevani’ services — a telemedicine platform — which is being utilised successfully at these healthcare centres. According to data, in Feb, 70,307 people in Prayagraj, 15,000 in Fatehpur, 17,660 in Pratapgarh and 15,157 in Kaushambi benefited from e-Sanjeevani service. Officials claimed state govt is successful in transforming these Ayushman Aroyga Mandirs into a major medium for delivering primary healthcare services directly to citizens. Their utility has become particularly evident in rural areas. State govt has focused on enhancing transparency within the initiative to yield positive results.
