Project SARATHI draws attention from Safdarjung Hospital
Chandigarh, September 16: PGIMER’s Project SARATHI (Students Alliance for Responsible Action to Transform Healthcare Institutes) is attracting wider institutional attention, with VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, exploring the possibility of adopting the model.
Following a letter from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), a three-member Safdarjung Hospital team visited PGIMER to understand how the initiative is implemented.
The delegation included Dr Gaurav Arora, Additional Medical Superintendent; Praveen Kumar Dhandiyal, OPD Supervisor; and Harpreet Singh, OPD Supervisor.
How Project SARATHI helps patients
Project SARATHI engages trained student volunteers to provide non-clinical assistance to patients and attendants. Volunteers help with registration, OPD navigation, queues and information about hospital services.
PGIMER Director Prof. Vivek Lal said the initiative connects trained student volunteers with hospital systems to make the patient experience more supportive, dignified and patient-centred.
Safdarjung team studies SARATHI framework
During the visit, the team was briefed on the project’s objectives, standard operating procedures, SARATHI Toolkit, volunteer training and deployment, departmental coordination, monitoring and feedback mechanisms.
The delegation also interacted with SARATHI volunteers and security personnel and visited the PGIMER IT Cell to understand the digital attendance and feedback system.
PGIMER Deputy Director (Administration) Pankaj Raj said SARATHI has been developed as a structured and replicable framework with defined SOPs, volunteer deployment and monitoring mechanisms.
Safdarjung Hospital assesses implementation needs
Dr Gaurav Arora said the visit provided practical insights into volunteer mobilisation, training, deployment, coordination and digital monitoring. He said the experience would help Safdarjung Hospital assess the requirements for adapting the model at its institution.
The visit covered the entire SARATHI process, from student mobilisation and training to deployment, patient assistance, coordination, monitoring and feedback.
