New Delhi: A preventive health screening drive using “Health ATMs”, fitted with cutting-edge diagnostic equipment, has been launched in northern India as part of a joint initiative of the HEAL Foundation and India Health Link (IHL). Health ATMs are touch-screen automated teller machine-sized machines which can screen vital parameters, including pulse, blood pressure, temperature, body mass composition, blood glucose, oxygen saturation levels and ECG, without any paramedic assistance.
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A “Health ATM” kiosk was set up at the second G20 Health Working Group meeting held in Goa last month.
Dr Swadeep Srivastava, the founder of HEAL Foundation, said “Health ATMs” are fitted with cutting-edge diagnostic equipment for basic vitals, cardiology, neurology, pulmonary tests, clinical diagnostic and life-saving equipment, and emergency services.
It also creates electronic personal health records for everyone, he said.
Dr Srivastava said,
Though the primacy of healthcare has increased exponentially, preventive healthcare is taking a cultural proportion as never before. Preventive healthcare might turn out a new curative if it is adopted thoroughly in sync with technology.
“To take the buzzword of preventive healthcare on the ground and to spreading awareness around the advantages of preventive screening in ensuring holistic health, HEAL Foundation in association with India Health Link has launched a preventive health screening drive in most parts of North India,” he said.
In association with UGRO Capital and National Fertilisers Limited (NFL), HEAL Foundation has conducted preventive screening camps in abundance. To complement the efforts of the Uttar Pradesh Government, which has been working to shore up medical and diagnostics facilities at primary and community health centres, HEAL Foundation in association with India Health Link has started installing Health ATMs in Gorakhpur, Maharajganj and Lucknow to provide easy accessibility to preventive screening.
Last year, Digital Health Clinics were started in Khagaria, Bihar. Health ATMs are also being installed in Odisha.
On the role of the digital healthcare ecosystem in aiding primary and preventive healthcare, Dr Srivastava said, “Preventive and primary healthcare ecosystems in India play decisive roles in reducing the burden of healthcare delivery in India.”
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He said,
However, both command low focus because several factors are involved. Either healthcare facilities are unavailable or it is not easily accessible to people. But devising the digital healthcare ecosystem prudently could fill the huge gap in primary and preventive healthcare.
Dr Satyender Goel, founder and CEO of India Health Link (IHL) said, “Having received overwhelming responses from our Health ATMs installed in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand hospitals and at primary and community health centres, we have started making inroads by deploying these machines across the country.” “The award-winning ‘Made in India’ hPoD (Health ATM) with zero assistance automated vitals screening is a physical plus digital preventive healthcare ecosystem that will give a walk-in experience to the people who could get their key vitals screened.
Dr Goel added,
Not only this, people who go for this screening will also get their unique IHL Health accounts created, which integrates with Ayushman Bharat Health Account, complementing the National Digital Health Mission of India.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diarrhoea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
