The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched the Diagnostic Services in Healthcare (DISHA) portal to help the public in accessing nearest diagnostic healthcare facilities towards ensuring early detection and proactive management.

DISHA will empower the consumer or patient with the knowledge to make informed decisions regarding the type of facility, the distance, test availability, test cost and turn-around time, said a scientist from the ICMR. 

“This web portal is a dynamic platform which is being updated with new data-points as and when we have the access to required data. The ICMR is in the process of cataloguing diagnostic public healthcare facilities throughout the country and constructing a user-friendly and comprehensive dynamic online map to showcase the availability of relevant laboratory services,” she added.

The scientist further said that robust diagnostic healthcare services lay the foundation of an efficient and high-quality healthcare system. Up to 60% to 70% of all critical healthcare decisions are based on the evidence provided by laboratory services.

Access to the information regarding the location and availability of the diagnostic tests is a critical necessity. In a country as vast as ours, we require the necessary resources to locate the laboratories which provide the required tests.

Diagnostic healthcare services contribute significantly to the delivery of healthcare. The Indian diagnostic healthcare system is vast and complex with numerous stakeholders, and is variably distributed in different geographical areas.

The government has set guidelines for operation and quality of diagnostic public health facilities, however, currently, the country has no information on availability of test’s, their costs, and infrastructure to gauge the effective utilization of health services.