Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting to assess the expansion of Project SARATHI across hospitals and medical institutions in the country, with a focus on improving patient experience through trained youth volunteers.
Union Minister for Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, also attended the meeting, which reviewed the implementation of the initiative at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, and deliberated on replicating the model across Central government hospitals and other healthcare institutions.
Project SARATHI aims to improve patient experience by providing trained youth volunteers to assist patients and their attendants while strengthening community participation in public healthcare.
During the meeting, Nadda stressed that patient-centric healthcare extends beyond medical treatment and includes ensuring that patients and their caregivers receive timely guidance, assistance and compassionate support throughout their hospital visit. He said Project SARATHI has demonstrated how structured volunteer engagement can improve patient convenience while allowing healthcare professionals to focus more effectively on clinical responsibilities.
Officials briefed the ministers on the outcomes of the initiative at PGIMER, Chandigarh, where SARATHI volunteers assist patients with hospital navigation, wheelchair and stretcher support, guidance for diagnostic services and other non-clinical assistance.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the initiative has mobilised more than 2,500 volunteers, who have contributed over 1.5 lakh service hours, significantly improving patient experience. A study conducted by the Department of Community Medicine at PGIMER found that patients assisted under the initiative experienced a 26 per cent reduction in overall hospital navigation time.
The meeting also reviewed the integration of Project SARATHI with the MY Bharat initiative of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and discussed ways to institutionalise youth participation in healthcare facilities through structured orientation, training and digital monitoring systems.
The role of digital platforms in volunteer registration, attendance tracking, patient feedback and support for Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) ID creation also came up for discussion.
The deliberations focused on developing a scalable and sustainable framework for implementing Project SARATHI across hospitals nationwide. Discussions covered institutional mechanisms, volunteer training, coordination with MY Bharat, digital integration and safeguards to ensure volunteers complement healthcare services without taking on clinical or administrative responsibilities.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Youth Affairs and Sports, along with representatives from AIIMS New Delhi, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, PGIMER Chandigarh and other central government healthcare institutions.