Health ATM - A Paradigm Shift in Healthcare

Health ATM is the new buzzword of the millennial. The first health ATM was established in the year 2016 by Essar Foundation. This health ATM was installed in the Primary Health Centre in Palnar to offer quality health care to villagers of remote Dantewada district.

Nevertheless, Max Bupa is the first health insurance company to launch Health ATM in India. This Health ATM without manual intervention, conduct medical tests and issue health policies up to Rs. 1 Mn. On the same grounds, in January 2019 NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Corporation) installed Health ATMs at various government-run healthcare centres.

Health ATMs come equipped with different features and functionalities. Health ATMs are private walk-in kiosks staffed by medical attendants. The integrated devices in these kiosks can be used for checking basic vitals and laboratory testing; even speciality testing such as cardiology, pulmonary, gynaecology and neurology are facilitated in these kiosks along with emergency facilities. In urban areas, these also serve as wellness walk-in kiosks.

These ATMs help in quick and hassle-free health screening. There is also the facility of connecting patients to specialists and certified doctors through video conferencing and web and mobile applications. 

At present, with the change in lifestyle and expansion of non-communicable diseases, there is a requirement for preventive screening and early diagnosis. Here, these ATMs play a pivotal role in the early identification of diseases and getting timely and quality treatment.

Not only just preventive and quality care, even when installed at government healthcare centres, primary care centres and rural clinics, these ATMs also help in avoiding the menace of long wait period and addressing the unequal doctor-patient ratio. Also, with the diagnostics done through these ATMs, the results can be easily transferred and verified by a centralized control unit. The unit can, in turn, instruct the doctors on the line of treatment based on the diagnosis. 

However, there are certain challenges in operating Health ATMs. With interrupted power supply and internet connection along with inadequate infrastructure, it is quite difficult for managing a Health ATM in the rural area. At the same time, taking the onus of maintenance of such ATMs adds on to the responsibility of government and primary centre officials. Any delay in maintenance can lead to converting such Kiosks to relegated cold storage in no time. 

However, several groups are working on improving the capabilities of Health ATM. At the same time, there are various preventive and wellness groups which are using these ATMs to address health issues of villages and also installing it at other places such as malls and airports for easy access of the consumers to diagnostic reports and quality caregivers. 

With the increasing penetration of internet, greater consumerization of care and emphasis on preventive care, Health ATM is undoubtedly going to play an indispensible role in the years to come. The day is not far when increasing functionalities and capabilities of such ATMs is going to replace a retail health clinic completely and will act as a first touch base for anyone looking for preventive diagnosis and quality treatment.

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