Union Health Minister JP Nadda chairs meeting, review SARATHI project expansion

During the meeting, Nadda emphasised that patient-centric healthcare extends beyond clinical care and includes ensuring that patients and their attendants receive timely guidance, assistance and compassionate support during their hospital journey.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting to assess the scope for expanding Project SARATHI across hospitals and medical institutions in the country. The meeting reviewed the implementation and impact of Project SARATHI at PGIMER, Chandigarh, and deliberated on its replication across Central Government hospitals and other healthcare institutions.

The initiative aims to improve patient experience through trained youth volunteers while strengthening community participation in public healthcare. During the meeting, Nadda emphasised that patient-centric healthcare extends beyond clinical care and includes ensuring that patients and their attendants receive timely guidance, assistance and compassionate support during their hospital journey.

He highlighted that Project SARATHI has demonstrated how structured volunteer engagement can improve patient convenience while enabling healthcare professionals to focus more effectively on clinical responsibilities. The Ministers were briefed on the outcomes of the initiative at PGIMER, Chandigarh, where SARATHI volunteers have supported patients with hospital navigation, wheelchair and stretcher assistance, guidance for diagnostic services and other non-clinical support.

The initiative has mobilised more than 2,500 volunteers, contributed over 1.5 lakh service hours and has significantly enhanced the patient experience. A study conducted by the Department of Community Medicine, PGIMER, reported a 26% reduction in overall patient navigation time for those assisted under the initiative. The meeting also reviewed the integration of Project SARATHI with the MY Bharat initiative of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and discussed mechanisms to institutionalise youth participation in healthcare institutions through structured orientation, training and digital monitoring systems. The role of digital platforms in volunteer registration, attendance, patient feedback and support for ABHA ID creation was also highlighted.

Discussions focused on developing a scalable and sustainable framework for implementing Project SARATHI in hospitals across the country. Deliberations included institutional mechanisms, volunteer training, coordination with MY Bharat, digital integration and safeguards to ensure that volunteers complement healthcare services without undertaking clinical or administrative responsibilities. Union Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, was also present during the meeting.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and other concerned stakeholders, including Punya Salila Srivastava, Union Health Secretary; Vijay Nehra, Additional Secretary, MoHFW; Kiran Gopal Vaska, Joint Secretary & MD (ABDM), National Health Authority; Dr. Nirupam Madaan, Medical Superintendent, AIIMS New Delhi; Dr. Akhilandeswari Prasad, Director, ABVIMS & Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi; Dr. Kavita Rani Sharma, Director, VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi; Dr. Himani Ahluwalia, Director, Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) and doctors from central hospitals. (ANI)