A preventive health screening drive using “Health ATMs”, fitted with cutting-edge diagnostic equipment, has been launched in northern India as part of a joint initiative of the HEAL Foundation and India Health Link (IHL).
Health ATMs are touch-screen automated teller machine-sized machines that can screen vital parameters, including pulse, blood pressure, temperature, body mass composition, blood glucose, oxygen saturation levels, and ECG, without any paramedic assistance.
A “Health ATM” kiosk was set up at the second G20 Health Working Group meeting held in Goa last month. Dr. Swadeep Srivastava, the founder of the HEAL Foundation, said “Health ATMs” are fitted with cutting-edge diagnostic equipment for basic vitals, cardiology, neurology, pulmonary tests, clinical diagnostic and life-saving equipment, and emergency services. It also creates electronic personal health records for everyone, he said.
“Though the primacy of healthcare has increased exponentially, preventive healthcare is taking on a cultural proportion as never before. Preventive healthcare might turn out to be a new curative if it is thoroughly adopted in sync with technology,” Dr. Srivastava said. “To put the buzzword of preventive healthcare on the ground and to spread awareness around the advantages of preventive screening in ensuring holistic health, the HEAL Foundation, in association with India Health Link, has launched a preventive health screening drive in most parts of North India,” he said.
In association with UGRO Capital and National Fertilisers Limited (NFL), the HEAL Foundation has conducted preventive screening camps in abundance. To complement the efforts of the Uttar Pradesh Government, which has been working to shore up medical and diagnostic facilities at primary and community health centres, the HEAL Foundation, in association with India Health Link, has started installing health ATMs in Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, and Lucknow to provide easy accessibility to preventive screening.
Last year, digital health clinics were started in Khagaria, Bihar. Health ATMs are also being installed in Odisha. On the role of the digital healthcare ecosystem in aiding primary and preventive healthcare, Dr. Srivastava said, “Preventive and primary healthcare ecosystems in India play decisive roles in reducing the burden of healthcare delivery in India.
