Does Smart Healthcare Card benefit patients and providers?

A health card system could provide individuals with a unique identifier that would allow healthcare providers to access their medical history and provide appropriate care. Additionally, a health card system could help to streamline healthcare processes and reduce administrative costs and sufferings of patients.

Critics may say establishing a health card system requires a robust infrastructure for supporting collection, storage, and retrieval of medical information. More over non-availability of reliable internet connectivity and computer systems in some areas, unauthorized disclosure of personal health information which require privacy, in absence of strict regulations and policies to protect patient data may create harm than benefit of patients.

The health care in our country faces challenges due to non-availability of smart health card in providing affordable and quality healthcare to patients, particularly those who are poor. A simple smart health card may help system to run more effectively for the patients, especially those in rural areas. Because they do not keep the previous health record in their hand while visiting doctors. This aggravates their pathological test cost and other related costs.

Essential medicines are sometimes not affordable to poor patients. A price monitoring and control mechanism can be arranged by negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to reduce the price of medicine. Tax rate can be reduced for the pharmaceutical companies so that they can sell medicine with reduced price, or subsidy can be given to chemical of antibiotics and some other essential medicine items which are required frequently for the patients.

Most importantly shifting focus from clinical care towards preventive healthcare may reduce the hospital operational cost. Promoting healthy lifestyles, increasing awareness of health risks, food habit, exercise and providing vaccinations may reduce drastically treatment cost. Healthcare infrastructure, including hospitals, clinics, and laboratories, to improve the quality of healthcare services and make them more accessible to poor patients are prime need to ensure health for all. The Health system need to be updated to better serve poor patients by increasing funding for healthcare, improving access to primary healthcare, increasing the availability of essential medicines, focusing on preventive healthcare, increasing community participation, and investing in healthcare infrastructure. Patients need to be treated with respect, dignity, and compassion so that they can receive the best possible care. Clear information about treatment options, test results, and discharge plans need to be communicated to patients with their clear language. Good communication can help reduce anxiety and build trust between patients and doctors or hospital staff. There should be a mechanism to understand patient satisfaction scores. This can help patients make informed decisions about their healthcare and hold the hospital accountable for its performance. Adequate staff levels on outsourcing basis are necessary for the hospital management.

Hospital management must solicit feedback from patients, families, and staff on a regular basis which can help identify areas for improvement and ensure that the hospital is meeting the needs of its patients and stakeholders. Doctors can be more pro-people to listen actively to their patients by actively engaging in conversation, asking open-ended questions, and taking the time to understand the patient’s concerns and needs. Effective communication is essential for building trust and ensuring that patients understand their health conditions and treatment options. Doctors may become more pro-people by communicating clearly, empathetically, and respectfully with their patients. Doctors should stay up-to-date with the latest medical research and best practices to provide their patients with the best possible care. Every patient is unique and doctors must know it for giving prescriptions on individual circumstances, values, and preferences and personalized care.

The Hospital management can establish a formal grievance redressal mechanism to address complaints from patients about the quality of healthcare services which is easy to access, and be able to submit complaints anonymously. A patient feedback system can help to collect feedback from patients about the quality of care they receive from doctors. The feedback system can be implemented in the form of surveys or feedback forms that patients can fill out after their consultation. Authority can conduct regular performance evaluations of doctors in hospitals on patient satisfaction, adherence to medical ethics, and clinical outcomes. Healthcare providers can make a big difference in treating patient if they are proactive.

Hospital may offer amenities such as TV, Wi-Fi, and other forms of entertainment where patients can take advantage of these amenities to make their stay more enjoyable. Hospitals may offer activities such as therapy, meditation, or exercise classes where patients can participate for their relaxation and wellbeing.

It is known that a proposal on the project of e-health card is now with the Planning Commission. The health cards will contain all the health information of citizens if it is passed.

The Alma-Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care (PHC) established the principle of ‘Health for All’ in 1978. PHC is the cornerstone of universal health coverage (UHC), which seeks that everyone has the right to access quality health services without facing financial hardship. In 1998, Bangladesh introduced community clinics (CC) under community-based health services to create a one-stop primary health care service into rural communities. There are more than 14000 CC functioning in Bangladesh now.

Health card considers the whole spectrum of care from prevention to diagnostic, rehabilitation and palliative care, as well all levels of care including self-care, home care, community care, primary care, long-term care, hospital care, in order to provide integrated health services throughout the life course. WHO Bangladesh is supporting the Government in moving towards universal health coverage through improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their health service delivery systems. Support from development partners has always been an important source of health financing in Bangladesh.

Delay in fund availability, recruitment and retention of human resources, delay in procurement of drugs and medical supplies, and lack of provision for allocating operational funds at the facility level certainly are blocking the advancement of health service delivery at district level and below.

There is a lack of coordination and shortage of trained health providers with appropriate skill-mix in the public sector and a widespread increase in unregulated informal providers in the private sector. There is a persistent high out-of-pocket payment by households. This factor hinders the achievement of universal health coverage in

the country.

There is an urgent need for more investment of public funds and stronger local accountability to improve the quality of health services and regulating the quality of care provided by the private and public hospitals. National Health Policy (NHP) can be a guiding principle for a country to identify the priority of health-care needs, resource allocations according to prioritization and to achieve specific health-care goals through establishing E health card.

The writer is a former Senior Secretary. Currently he is Adjunct faculty at Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management. He can be contacted at s22arefin@gmail.com