Guide To Visiting CMC Vellore Hospital And What One Should Look Out For

Vellore is well-known for CMC – the Christian Medical College. The town around the hospital and medical college serves both visiting patients and stationed professionals. Within India, Vellore has a reputation for being an excellent medical tourism destination.

How can I reach CMC Vellore Hospital?

Vellore is well connected by train, with Katpadi Junction being the closest central rail station. Many trains travel through Katpadi and halt for 10–20 minutes on average. Katpadi serves as a de facto railroad terminal for all patients seeking treatment in Vellore. The station, adapted to meet the needs of patients, includes a ramp and a staircase to reach various platforms with overhead bridges. These ramps provide direct access to the auto and taxi stands outside the station.

Wheelchairs are also available for free use at the station. However, they are managed by a porter (cooli), with whom you can arrange a service drop to the auto stand outside. For this wheelchair service, a porter might be charged anywhere between Rs. 80/- and Rs. 100/-. 

Using this wheelchair service is advocated for the patient unless the personal attendant is athletic with body strength. Pushing a wheelchair with a patient seated can be exhausting. If you have a foldable wheelchair, consider hiring a coolie to help you lead around.

Apart from Katpadi, certain trains stop at Vellore Cantonment, which is substantially closer to Vellore Hospital than Katpadi. However, train stoppage time is restricted, ranging from 3 to 5 minutes on average, so keep that in mind.

The nearest major airport is Chennai if you plan to travel by air. Alternatively, you can fly into Tirupati, which has an international airport as well. Chennai, on the other hand, is a key hub, always suggested.

What are the services at CMC Vellore?

The main campus is in the heart of Vellore City, and the other is at Bagayam, about 7 kilometers from the main campus. CMC employs more than 8,800 people, including 1,528 doctors and 2,400 nurses. Almost every clinical specialty is available. Many departments are divided into units that specialize in specific areas. For example, Surgery is divided into eight units specializing in Head and Neck Surgery, Endocrine Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, and so on. There are 143 specialized departments/units in all. Rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthropathies such as Ankylosing spondylitis and Psoriatic arthropathy, Lupus, Primary Sjogren’s disease, and Takayasu arteritis are among the illnesses treated by the Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, which sees approximately 40,000 patients every year. This department offers its own MRI and sonography services for the extremities and clinical and translational research.

The Ida S. Scudder Centenary Center for Women and Children (ISSCC) has roughly 424 beds, houses Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Medicine, Child Health, Neonatology, Paediatric Surgery, and Developmental Paediatrics departments. There are three departments in the Orthopedics department and specialist units for Pediatric Orthopedics, Hand & Microvascular Surgery, and Spinal Disorders. Hematology is a leader in treating all blood illnesses, including cutting-edge bone marrow transplantation, haemato-oncology, and bleeding disorders. The Schell Eye Hospital campus houses the department of ophthalmology. On the Bagayam Campus, the Mental Health Centre, part of CMC’s Psychiatry department, is located. This institute, called Nambikkai Nilayam, a Tamil term that means “Center for Hope”, also contains the faculty for evaluating and training mentally challenged children. The Rehabilitation Institute and the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital are also on the Bagayam Campus.

Radiology reports are integrated into a digital system that does not need film. The country’s first picture archiving and communication system (PACS) was launched In 2000. Medical personnel can access the photos from any computer connected to the hospital’s network. The findings of laboratory tests are also stored on the hospital’s intranet, making them accessible from anywhere in the facility.

How can I make an appointment at CMC Vellore?

Once you have opted to attend CMC Vellore, you must first register the patient online, which is simple and requires only basic information such as name, sex, address, and other information that you would typically provide. The next step is to schedule an appointment with the doctor, which you can do either privately or publicly. There is a minor price difference between the two. The most obvious difference is how you are examined by the doctor, with the private option having a slight benefit. In the case of a private visit, the doctor will generally provide you with another appointment window later in the day following the first round of generic check-ups.

The obvious question is how to choose a doctor. To do so, first, select the relevant department from a list, and then, based on your section, a list of doctors from whom to choose will appear. If you already know who to consult, choose the doctor; if you don’t know, pick after browsing the list. Some people recommend showing the patient to the HOD (Head of Department) because of their experience. However, HODs are often highly busy, so it’s more of a requirement judgment. After choosing a doctor, you’ll be able to view their availability slots (dates). After selecting the date, you can make an online payment. After the online payment completion, you will receive an email confirmation along with the patient ID.

Print a copy of the online appointment confirmation and carry it to the hospital visit. Make a mental note of the patient ID since it will be crucial for any follow-up and transactions on hospital grounds. If you don’t book online, you can make a physical appointment at the hospital.

What documents do I need to bring to CMC Vellore?

Bring all test results, x-ray plates, MRI plates, and any other documents you have with you to your initial appointment. When the doctor sees these preliminary reports, they may ask you to undergo more tests at CMC Vellore. As CMC Vellore is a comprehensive virtual internet-based system, all medical records are maintained in the central server against the patient id. The doctor may ask you to have all old test reports, x-ray plates, and MRI plates scanned and entered into the central system. Once completed, you will not need to bring them again because they will be in the system.

What are the tests performed at CMC Vellore?

When the doctor sees the patient, they will order some tests (if) and then give you a pink slip. The doctor will have already entered the necessary tests into the system. All you have to do now is carry the pink paper with the patient number to the cash or card counter in the basement. Following in-person payment, you will receive a digital printout in multiples per the number of prescribed tests. You will receive individual receipts for each department, such as x-ray, blood, and MRI, and the cashier will write the room number on which you must travel to the respective departments and produce the form. Depending on the queue, you will be issued a token and an anticipated wait time for your turn.

It may appear complex, but it’s ideal, and after your first visit, you’ll have a rough idea about how long each department will take.

Tip: If you notice a long line at a particular department, take the token and move on to the next test. This will save time and allow other tests while you wait.

You will not be provided any test reports directly as they are all input into the central computer system. You can, however, request a copy of the reports that will be made available to you on a CD.

Typically, you will meet with the doctor following the series of tests, and the doctor will log into the system to view all test results. In the case of a private visit, the doctor may contact you again the same day or the next day if a test takes longer than expected to complete.

Timeline

This varies; occasionally, the doctor will ask you to come back another day, which could be a couple of days later. As each department operates on a set number of days, you should plan your initial visit.

Unless you need to admit the patient, the timeframe alters dramatically depending on the time allotted by the doctors.

Feature: Hospital Card CMC Vellore

The CHRISS, CMC Vellore’s patient card is printed on the ground floor of the Centenary Building. For this, there is a separate counter. The CHRISS card can also be used as a debit card because you can load cash onto it via online banking and redeem it at test centers and other locations. However, this is not mandatory; you can pay cash or a through credit card at the hospital.

Things you should know before visiting CMC Vellore hospital

1. Appointment process

They typically have two appointment options: offline and online.

• Online Appointment

If you are an outstation patient visiting from a location such as Kolkata, West Bengal, it is recommended that you schedule an appointment online. There are usually long queues to get an appointment and can take 15-30 days. 

To book an appointment online, go to the official website of the hospital and follow the instructions. 

If you’re new to CMC, click > New Patient; otherwise, enter the Hospital Number and Patient Birth Year to login.

• Offline appointment

As you enter Vellore’s main gate, you’ll read “SILVER GATE FOR NEW APPOINTMENT.” You must go there and describe your problem, and the officials will assist you in scheduling an appointment with the appropriate department. You will almost certainly receive a private appointment date within 3-30 days in this scenario.

2. Wards and buildings

There are 3-4 main buildings of CMC.

• OPD building (outdoor patients) 

Mostly, you will be visiting a doctor in this building. Work activities are conducted all over the five-story building. 

• Ground floor

This floor is for all tests performed here, such as blood, urine, X-rays, and so on. You must present the recommended tests specified by the doctor in your prescription to the payment cash counter. You can use cash, debit/credit cards, and the CHRISS card. 

The room numbers where tests will be conducted are noted on the payment sheet. For example, G20 for blood tests, G11 for X-rays, and so on. It is advised to arrive early to begin the testing procedure as soon as feasible, starting at 6 a.m. 

• First floor

A range of private and general doctors connected to different departments may be found in each room on the 1st floor, 2nd floor, and 3rd floor. For example, at 10:30 a.m., report to MRO at OPD Building Second Floor 210. It means you’ll have to travel to the second floor’s room 210. Between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m., there will be an MRO COUNTER in the front of the room where you must submit your appointment copy.

• ISSCC building

Multiple operations such as new appointments, repeat visits, pharmacy, CHRISS CARD, and cash payment are conducted in the OPD building. In the second story of this building, doctors examine patients respectively. 

1. New appointments: For new appointments, exams, and other work, you can go to counters 4 – 10 and make an appointment after paying a nominal fee. 
2. Repeated appointment: If you need a repeat appointment, go to the counter between 11 and 1 p.m. The officials will inquire about your doctor’s details and schedule an appointment for you accordingly.

Conclusion

Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore is a charitable not-for-profit hospital and a licenced non-profit organisation. The affiliated university called the Christian Medical College Vellore (CMC) is regarded amongst the greatest medical colleges in India and offers a broad range of undergraduate, postgraduate and higher speciality programmes in medicine, nursing, allied health sciences and related fields.

To know more about college admissions and related information, visit https://www.dbmci.com and get all the information in one place. 

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