Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday launched the AIIMS-SBI Smart Payment Card in a bid to ensure hassle free payments for treatment at the premier institute.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said the AIIMS Smart Payment Card will resolve the long pending issue of patients from far flung areas carrying cash with them to the hospital.

He said the patients or their caretakers can get the card easily from the facilitation centres across AIIMS, New Delhi and thereafter use it for payment at various counters.

Calling it as a major step in patient care services and the digital India initiative under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mandaviya said the digital India initiative has ushered in a new era of ease and safety which was very elusive earlier and is still a distant goal for many countries.

Referring to the Smart Payment Card as ‘One AIIMS, One Card’, the minister said funds can now be transferred easily and swiftly from across the country by anyone in case of any urgent payment related requirement, for the patient being attended at AIIMS.

He also informed that in near future the services of these cards will be extended across all the AIIMS in the country.

The minister also reiterated the Centre’s commitment towards adding further convenience measures for patients across the hospitals in the country.

A memorandum of understanding with regards to implementation of the SBI- AIIMS Delhi Smart card system was also signed.

The SBI-AIIMS Smart Card is being provided free of cost to all patients and has no service charges. All patients upon admission will be issued the smart card. The card will be linked to the patient’s Unique Hospital Identification (UHID) number and the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) ID issued under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

M Srinivas, Director of AIIMS Delhi and Manjeet Singh, DGM, State Bank of India and senior officials from the Health Ministry were present on the occasion.

Earlier, the minister also presided over the signing of a Collaboration Agreement between University of Liverpool and AIIMS for “AIIMS Liverpool Collaborative Centre for Translational Research in Head and Neck Cancer – ALHNS”.

The ALHNS will build upon the pre-existing collaboration and links between the Liverpool Head and Neck Centre (LNHC), University of Liverpool and the Head and Neck Cancer Unit at the premier institute.