Project Story: Healthcare Accessibility and Awareness in Odisha Introduction The Government of Odisha's commitment to address the problem of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is commendable, but the public awareness about the availability of free services and facilities still remains low. This lack of information leads to high out-of-pocket expenses for chronic patients. To address this problem, we proposed a solution to create an online platform that lists healthcare service centers, hospitals, and their specialties, quality ratings, and capacities in real-time.
Inspiration Our inspiration for this project came from our own experiences and the experiences of people around us. We have witnessed the struggles that patients and their families face in accessing affordable and quality healthcare. Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for accessible and reliable healthcare information. We wanted to create a platform that would not only make it easier for people to find healthcare facilities but also keep them informed about the services offered, their quality, and capacities.
What we learned During our research, we learned that the lack of information about healthcare facilities and services is a major problem, not only in Odisha but also in many other parts of India. We also learned that there is a need for an online platform that provides real-time information about healthcare facilities, their specialties, quality ratings, and capacities. Additionally, we found that providing regular reminders for check-ups and easy access to frequently asked questions and doctor contact information would be useful for patients.
Building the Project To build the project, we first identified the key features that were necessary to address the problem at hand. These features included:
A map-based platform that displays healthcare facilities and their specialties, quality ratings, and capacities in real-time An unique patient identity system that would allow doctors to access the medical history of a patient across different facilities Regular push-notifications for scheduled check-ups A community and FAQs tab for easy access to frequently asked questions and doctor contact information We used React and Node.js for the frontend and backend of the platform, respectively. We also utilized Google Maps API for the map-based interface.
Challenges Building a platform that provides real-time information about healthcare facilities was a challenging task. One of the biggest challenges was collecting accurate and up-to-date information about the facilities. We had to rely on multiple sources, including government websites, healthcare organizations, and local communities, to ensure that the information provided was accurate and trustworthy.
Another challenge was designing a user-friendly interface that would be accessible to people with varying levels of technical proficiency. To overcome this challenge, we conducted multiple user testing sessions to identify areas of improvement and ensure that the platform was easy to use.
Conclusion The Healthcare Accessibility and Awareness platform has the potential to make a positive impact on the lives of patients and their families in Odisha. By providing real-time information about healthcare facilities and services, we aim to make healthcare more accessible and affordable for everyone. Our hope is that this platform will become a valuable resource for the people of Odisha and inspire similar initiatives in other parts of the country.
