AIIMS Delhi will switch to 100% digital payments after March 31, adopt smart card facility

After March 31, AIIMS Delhi will not accept any cash payment at any counter other than at the 'AIIMS Smart Card' top-up counters

The smart card facility introduced on a pilot basis in some departments at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, will be rolled out across all sections by March 31, enabling all kinds of payments.

After March 31, the hospital will not accept any cash payment at any counter other than at the 'AIIMS Smart Card' top-up counters, which will be operationalised across multiple locations on a 24x7 basis, AIIMS Delhi said.

The AIIMS Smart Card will be the only way to make payments for all investigations and procedures other than electronic payments via UPI, debit cards, credit cards, etc, it added.

In the order issued by AIIMS Director Dr M Srinivas, the memorandum issued on November 17, 2022, is referred to, which advises the 'AIIMS Smart Card' facility be started for patients and attendants with effect from April 15, 2023, in collaboration with State Bank of India.

“This was done to move to digital payments mode and to improve patient convenience so that they don't have to stand in queues for making payments for various investigations and procedures or for getting snacks/food in cafeteria etc,” the order stated.

The order cited a recent occurrence, wherein at another similar institution, an outsourced service provider had tampered with the final discharge bills of patients and charged them more thereby causing them financial loss and mental agony.

“This further highlights the importance of transitioning to 100 per cent integrated digital payment systems at AIIMS, Delhi, so as to ensure that no patient is fleeced and the Institute accounting is also auditable on end-to-end basis,” the office order stated.

Notably, all payments shall be accepted at the payment end points installed nearest to the patient location and patients or their attendants shall not be asked to visit the central registration counters to make any payments, the order issued by the AIIMS Delhi Director clarified.

(With PTI inputs)