Preventive healthcare in India gets shot in arm with 'Health ATMs'

New Delhi: 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 which 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 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 a cultural proportion as never before. Preventive healthcare might turn out a new curative if it is adopted thoroughly in sync with technology," Dr Srivastava said.

"To take the buzzword of preventive healthcare on the ground and to spreading awareness around the advantages of preventive screening in ensuring holistic health, 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), 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 diagnostics facilities at primary and community health centres, 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.

"However, both command low focus because several factors are involved. Either healthcare facilities are unavailable or it is not easily accessible to people. But devising the digital healthcare ecosystem prudently could fill the huge gap in primary and preventive healthcare," he said.

Dr Satyender Goel, founder and CEO of India Health Link (IHL) said, "Having received overwhelming responses from our Health ATMs installed in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand hospitals and at primary and community health centres, we have started making inroads by deploying these machines across the country."

"The award-winning ‘Made in India’ hPoD (Health ATM) with zero assistance automated vitals screening is a physical plus digital preventive healthcare ecosystem that will give a walk-in experience to the people who could get their key vitals screened.

"Not only this, people who go for this screening will also get their unique IHL Health accounts created, which integrates with Ayushman Bharat Health Account, complementing the National Digital Health Mission of India," Dr Goel added.