GMCH to introduce token, queue management system in all OPDs in Chandigarh

At present, patients often need to wait in long queues to get a registration card made and then wait outside the consultation room. Many patients or their attendants have to keep asking staff about when their turn is, causing a rush in the OPD area and this causes inconvenience for both patients and staff. To tackle this issue, the hospital has now implemented a modern queue management and display system in collaboration with Rotary Ambala.

GMCH witnesses nearly 3,000 to 4,000 patients daily in its OPDs, and this system is expected to streamline patient flow and reduce wait-time chaos. Under the new system, each OPD waiting area will have a large display screen, while smaller display screens will be installed outside every consultation room, and these will be connected through a computer network.

When patients register, they receive a token slip containing their name, token number, and the doctor’s name. The token number indicates both the consultation room and the queue number. The screen outside the room will show the current patient (blinking in red) and the next patient (in green). This allows patients to sit comfortably and wait, without constantly asking the staff about their turn or crowding outside the doctor’s room. As per the hospital administration, a QR code-based update on token status is also in the pipeline. This will allow patients to check their position in the queue from their mobile phones and not be in the waiting area.

The credit for this digital transformation goes to Dr Surinder K Singhal, who initiated the idea with Rotary Ambala and helped bring in the technical support. This system aims to make the hospital more efficient and organised for both patients and healthcare workers.