Govt may use Staff of PSU Companies to manage Front Desk Work of Hospitals in Delhi

The Delhi government is planning to improve the front desk services at state-run hospitals by outsourcing these operations to public sector undertakings (PSUs). This move is part of the government’s efforts to enhance the overall experience for patients and visitors at public healthcare facilities.

In addition, the government is considering the installation of MRI, ultrasound, and CT scan machines at its hospitals through a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Both of these proposals are expected to be discussed at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Why Outsourcing Front Desk Operations is Important

With the Ayushman Bharat scheme now implemented in Delhi, there’s a growing need to streamline the front desk operations in government hospitals. This will help ensure that beneficiaries and visitors don’t face any difficulties when accessing services.

Currently, some hospitals hire private companies to manage tasks like patient registration, preparing outpatient cards, verifying documents, and handling patient admissions. The new plan is to have a PSU manage these tasks by providing staff to run the front desk counters.

An official explained that when referring patients to doctors or admitting them for treatment, there’s a lot of paperwork and documentation required. This is crucial to ensure that patients get the benefits they are eligible for under various government schemes. To make this process smoother, the government has decided to involve a PSU to handle the front desk operations.

Next Steps and Timeline

Once the cabinet approves the proposal, the government plans to begin the process of hiring a PSU to provide the necessary manpower. There are 39 state-run hospitals in Delhi that could benefit from this change.

Tackling Healthcare Personnel Shortage

To address the shortage of healthcare workers in state hospitals, the government had previously decided to recruit 1,463 outsourced personnel—701 nurses and 762 paramedics—through PSUs. However, this plan has not been put into action yet.

Improving Diagnostic Services

The government is also working to reduce the need for patients to visit private diagnostic centers. As part of the plan, MRI machines will be installed in all state-run hospitals under the PPP model, making radiology services more accessible to patients within the government healthcare system.