Junagadh first district in Gujarat to have Health ATMs in all PHCs

Junagadh: Junagadh has become the first district in Gujarat to introduce Health ATMs. While you may be familiar with ATM machines for withdrawing money, for the first time, ATMs for health check-ups have made their debut. The Health ATMs were inaugurated by the Chief Minister in the Junagadh district recently, and they have been installed in all 40 Primary Health Centers (PHCs) across the nine talukas in the district.

Through these Health ATMs, people can have their health checked. Residents of rural areas often have to travel to the city for medical check-ups and reports, incurring costs of 500 to 1000 rupees at private laboratories. However, with the placement of these Health ATMs in rural areas, people can receive their reports within minutes, free of charge. At these Health ATMs, individuals can obtain not just one or two but up to 40 test reports, all available to the patient within minutes.

Moreover, police officers catching individuals for alcohol consumption will no longer need to travel to Junagadh Civil Hospital, as the machine is capable of conducting alcohol tests.

Mirant Parikh, the District Development Officer (DDO) of Junagadh, explained to the media that these customized machines were procured through the government e-marketplace from a private company in Pune. Each device is priced at Rs 5 lakh, and the entire project has been funded from the administration’s own resources and grants received from local MLAs. Parikh emphasized, ‘Junagadh is the first district in the state to introduce these customized health ATMs, and they are available in all the Primary Health Centers (PHCs).’

The machine, equipped with a digital stethoscope, can conduct heart ECGs, non-invasive haemoglobin tests, kidney function assessments, including creatinine and bilirubin tests, glucose tests, ear-nose-throat evaluations, skin and nail imaging, eye examinations for astigmatism, color vision deficiencies, dry eyes, and can also detect risk markers for lung and breast cancers, brain strokes, and AIDS.

Officials mentioned that, on average, 60-70 people visit a PHC in the district daily. Once diagnosed, the medical officer at the PHC will send the reports to senior doctors at the civil hospital, who will then prescribe treatment through telemedicine.

Krunal Kothia, a resident of Wadal village, shared, “Today, I wasn’t feeling well, so I had a basic checkup at the Health ATM here. The machine’s performance is excellent, as it can generate all types of reports. Today, I had an ECG, blood report, and ENT report done, as I’m not feeling well. Previously, I had to go to Junagadh to get these reports. But now, with the arrival of the Health ATM in the village, all the reports are generated in just 30 minutes.” DeshGujarat