Mumbai: The civic health services have acquired a digital edge, with BMC launching a ‘health chatbot’ on Monday. With BMC’s chatbot number (9892993368), citizens will be able to register for visits to health centres and seek information about diseases, health sector campaigns, nearby health facilities, health certificates, and licences, said a senior civic official.
BMC has a pyramid of health services, beginning with medical colleges, specialty hospitals, suburban hospitals, as well as hundreds of dispensaries and apla dawakhanas spread throughout the city. “Online registration of visits to health centres will be available through the chatbot. This will help save time for citizens and improve the efficiency of the health system,” said the official.
The chatbot would also be able to help with information on birth and death certificates, marriage registration, disability certificates, health licences, and the process of obtaining licences related to maternity homes. The service was launched by Ashish Shelar, Minister for Information Technology and Cultural Affairs and guardian minister of the Mumbai suburban district. In the future, BMC will launch a dedicated website related to health services and a dashboard of OPD and hospital bed availability.
Meanwhile, BMC’s KEM Hospital in Parel inaugurated a skill lab with mannequins that will provide learning skills for undergraduate and postgraduate students in a safe environment without harming patients. The skill lab will cater to 250 undergraduate students and around 150 postgraduate students every year, said Dean Dr Sangeeta Ravat.
