Union Health Minister, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday launched the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi - SBI Smart Payment Card or digital patient care facility, in the presence of Dr. M Srinivas, Director of AIIMS New Delhi and Manjeet Singh, SBI General Manager.
According to the statement issued by the Minister, the AIIMS-SBI Smart Payment Card will ensure hassle-free payments for treatment in AIIMS, Delhi.
The Health Minister said that AIIMS Smart Payment Card will resolve the long pending issue of patients from far-flung areas carrying cash with them to the hospital. Patients or their caretakers can get the card easily from the facilitation centre’s across AIIMS, New Delhi, and thereafter use it for payment at various counters.
Praising the launch of the Smart Payment Card as a notable step in patient care services and the Digital India initiative, the Health minister expressed that this endeavor commemorates the first step towards “One Nation, One AIIMS, One Card”. The Minister also said that Soon, the services of the cards will be extended across all the AIIMS in the country. He further reiterated the centre's affirmation of adding more convenience measures for patients across the hospitals in the country.
The Smart Payment Card for patient services eliminates the need for cash payments at AIIMS, New Delhi. The card is provided free of charge to all patients and incurs no service charge. A patient can deposit an amount in this smart payment card and recharge it at various points in different blocks at AIIMS. This card serves as a crucial link to their Unique Hospital Identification (UHID) and Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) ID. It holds stringent security standards, mandating a one-time password for both top-up and refund transactions, thereby building protection against the odds of fraud and theft. The validity of the card is five years, and it integrates with the AIIMS E-Hospital system. The card, once activated, entitles the patients to 24/7 payment capabilities.
The Health Minister further illustrated that with this card now, all transactions will be cashless, and after the treatment, the remaining amount in the card will be refunded to the patient's account or given back in cash.
On this occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with regard to the implementation of the SBI-AIIMS New Delhi smart card system was also signed.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Lavanya Beeraboina/MSM)
