ORS or “Online Registration System” is a laudable medical scheme launched by the GOI that makes ADHAR or UID (unique identity) the basis of disseminating medical care to the people of the nation. Taking its name from the popular rehydration salt or ORS, this is a digitalization initiative to spread a consolidated medical set up among the Indian masses.
The ORS framework
ORS is an integrated online framework of interlinking hospitals across the nation for online registration and appointment of the patients. For now, the facility will be available only in those hospitals where counter based OPD registration and appointment system is computerized through Hospital Management Information System (HMIS). Thus, the system creates a central hub of appointments system in which different hospitals across the country are interlinked. It thus gives liberty to the patients to choose from the list and visits any hospital around the country to get the best treatment. The National Information Centre (NIC) provides the facility of cloud hosting for this integrated platform.
How does it work?
Image Source : AdiTech.Info
First, to use this facility, having an ADHAR is necessary. You get appointment in the related department of the hospital where you seek treatment by registering yourself online on ORS.gov.in. The portal enables you to book an appointment, print it and cancel it. You can also get appointments through appointment-cum-registration counters in the hospitals. Just fill in your ADHAR number to verify the identity of the patient, choose Hospital/Department, select date of appointment, and finally get confirmation SMS on your registered mobile phone.
Image Source : Developer.Uidai.Gov.In
A Unique Health Identification (UHID) is also generated, along with SMS, which will be used for future appointments as well as for communication in the hospital where you sought appointment. The hospital in turn automatically receives information about the patient using his KYC data from UIDAI. Even if you do not have registered number, you can still use this facility. For this, you have to give in your name. After proper verification from the UIDAI database, the system will ask you for a new mobile number that you will have to feed in to get the SMS.
Other features
The portal also provides Dashboard reports on numerical and statistical information on the hospitals, their departments, and the number of appointments on a particular day. In addition, the portal enables you to get online lab reports and check the availability of blood in different hospitals.
Advantages
With new system, people now need not to wait in long queues to get an appointment. ORS also bundles the advantage of delivering better medical care to the patient in it. They can now receive healthcare from good, experienced doctors, without the need to travel miles just to get appointment from an expert.
Some of these services listed above are in very basic stage. The service as of now is just confined to a few hospitals in Delhi, as well as in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tripura. However, we hope that the service will extend soon to other parts of the country as well.
