To facilitate seamless referral of patients from a government hospital to tertiary care facilities under Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) scheme, the Health Department has introduced an online referral system.
Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar, who tweeted about this, said the online referral system will not only ensure timely treatment for patients but will also usher in transparency.
According to a circular issued by the Health Department, referral of patients from primary healthcare centres to higher healthcare facilities for secondary and tertiary treatment is set to switch over to an online platform from June 1, 2022. Currently, the process used for referral involves manually filling out a pre-printed form.
The old process was time consuming for doctors and also caused inconvenience to patients. With the new online referral system (ORS), the process will become hassle-free and also avoid any malpractices.
“From June 1, doctors and designated nodal officers in the Government healthcare facilities will have to start referring patients through the website ‘https://arogya.karnataka.gov.in.’ The department has planned a gradual implementation of the new ORS to avoid any inconvenience to patients. The new platform will be rolled out in May itself and public health institutions will be expected to use the platform and familiarise themselves. However, offline referrals will also be permitted in case there are glitches in the process due to the process being unfamiliar. After June 1, no manual referrals will be accepted,” stated the circular adding that all doctors and staff should get themselves trained before May 15.
