Panaji: Online booking of slots for outpatient department services at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), Bambolim, will begin from February 4, the Health Department said.
Initially, on a trial basis, online booking will be available to the general public for 100 OPD slots each in the departments of General Medicine, General Surgery, ENT, Orthopaedics and Dermatology (Skin). The facility can be accessed by visiting the GMC website.
The Health Department said that based on feedback and response to the online appointment system, booking slots will be extended to all departments in a phased manner.
The offline appointment process for the remaining slots will continue in parallel and can be availed on the same day through the existing queue system at GMC.
“Initiative has been taken to facilitate ease of booking of appointments for OPD services in Goa Medical College (GMC) thereby eliminating the requirement of physical presence in queues for getting token of appointments for OPD services,” the department said.
To avail the facility, each patient must register through a mobile-based OTP system, and fill in basic details, or alternatively have their details fetched from the ABHA card database or DDSSY card database to complete the registration process.
Every new patient opting for the online appointment facility will have to pay a one-time fee of Rs 100 for Indian nationals and Rs 250 for foreign nationals. The fee will be valid for a period of two years, irrespective of the number of appointments booked during that period.
Upon successful booking, a confirmation slip will be generated, which the patient must produce at the OPD concerned.
The department said the online slot booking will ensure OPD services at GMC based on the availability of the doctor on the selected date.
Patients who book appointments online must report to the OPD concerned at least half an hour before the scheduled slot for smooth service.
It said slots will be available for booking for the immediate next seven days, and booking for the subsequent day will close on the preceding day at 5 pm.
“The number of vacant online slots remaining at the end of the day shall be added to the offline slots on the subsequent day which shall be available to the public through the regular offline process,” it said.
