Public Awareness and Perception of the Swasthya Sathi Scheme: Insights from Beneficiaries and Non-Beneficiaries in the Uttar Dinajpur District, West Bengal

The Swasthya Sathi Public Health Program in West Bengal aims to deliver universal medical services to underprivileged groups. This ambitious initiative offers monetary aid and a simple admission to medical care. This analysis explores how computerization optimizes Sathi’s performance and reach. Owing to progress in digitization, the scheme has benefited from streamlined operations, enhanced patient documentation, and better treatment availability. Innovations, such as online registration, digital health cards, and telehealth, have significantly decreased administrative costs and delays, allowing beneficiaries to access care more conveniently. Digitalization has also facilitated real-time data aggregation and tracking, allowing better policy formation and a more efficient allocation of funds. This study examines how digital tools impact various aspects of a scheme’s performance by analyzing case studies and real data from multiple districts in West Bengal. The findings underscore how computerization contributes to the success of the scheme by addressing issues such as fraud prevention, timely reimbursement, and expanded access to healthcare. In the end, this study calls for digital remedies to be fully integrated into Swasthya Sathi's framework to make it stronger and use it as a model for other Indian government-funded health programs.