Hyderabad: The Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) and the Helping Hand Foundation (HHF) have signed an agreement to enhance patient care and support services at NIMS.
The agreement aims to formalise and enhance the already existing collaboration between NIMS and HHF in providing helpdesk services to assist poor and underprivileged patients seeking treatment at the hospital.
On average, there are 3,000-4,000 patients in the OPD, which has 1639 beds, and 75-100 cases come into the emergency department daily.
As per the agreement, HHF will have six help desk systems, covering two in the emergency block, one each in the Millennium block, the old OPD block, and the speciality block.
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According to a press release, six trained counsellors will manage the help desk and aid patients from low-income backgrounds in accessing the large and complex hospital departments and systems with ease. Apart from navigational support, the help desk will also assist patients in ABHA registration under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
A dedicated counsellor is attached to the emergency department to assist patients in converting to Aarogyasri and in filling out forms and applications for state and central government health schemes for financial assistance.
A dedicated helpline number 83093 48682 has been established to help various hospital departments get access to any patient assistance and support. Further, the helpline can be used for intra-hospital referrals. Hundreds of patients from other government hospitals are referred to NIMS for speciality care.
HHF will also collaborate with NIMS in helping build the capacity of paramedical staff, nurses, and ANMs in government-run PHCs, etc. For example, an orientation program for nurses in government PHCs on snake bites and management was conducted pre-COVID by the Emergency Medicine department, which was supported by HHF.
“State-run hospitals like NIMS provide a wide spectrum of healthcare services at the most affordable cost with a highly competent team of doctors and staff. In this large eco-system, when we can provide good patient support systems that will benefit many poor patients,” said NIMS director Dr N Bheerapa.
“Patient support systems through helpdesk are a vital part of Public Health delivery and HHF has been strategically doing its bit to strengthen the public health system in its own way,” said Mujtaba Hasan Askari of Helping Hand Foundation.
HHF is supported by Basheer and Sarwar Babu Khan Human Development Trust (BSB HDT) in over 15 government hospitals in Hyderabad, Warangal and Khammam.
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