From Saturday, evening appointments with doctors at Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur, will take place at the click of a mouse, the new move helping net-savvy patients and barring private practice among medicos attached with the city's premier heal hub in one stroke.

TMH Prime, a sophisticated outpatients department (OPD) service, will make available hospital's doctors and specialists for consultation at TMH OPD and TMH clinics across the steel city between 6.30pm and 9.30pm every day.

TMH Prime will be a paid service irrespective of whether the patient is a Tata Steel employee or not. Employees can avail the usual morning OPD services that come free.

Sunil Bhaskaran, Tata Steel vice-president (corporate services), launched the TMH website on Friday and addressed the media along with TMH general manager Rajan Chaudhry.

"TMH Prime will be a service where patients get all specialists under one roof. The management no more allows its doctors to practise in private and we have been trying to implement it for some years now. TMH Prime will be a first-of-its-kind service where patients can seek appointments online using a secured payment gateway," Bhaskaran said.

Under TMH Prime, people can book appointments on www.tatamainhospital.com. Users will have to register themselves, click on 'book an appointment', select the department and doctor, check availability, book slots and pay online through debit or credit cards or NetBanking to get their appointments confirmed. The website will have doctors' profiles, including qualifications and experience, making it convenient for patients to select their preference.

All 124 doctors across 25 departments of medicine, will all be available for consultation at TMH and its clinics. Consultation charges will be either Rs 300 or Rs 500 depending upon the experience of the doctor concerned.

However, walk-ins will continue. Patients who don't book online can walk in with the consultation money and wait for their turn.

"Many don't know we have young world-class doctors now. Also, we have a far better infrastructure with much of the hospital renovated. We are ready to make significant investments when necessary. We aim to create a culture of confidence, ethics and value system in the medical fraternity," Bhaskaran said.

TMH Prime will also provide access to diagnostic facilities of pathology labs and ultrasound specialists. CT scan and MRI facilities are available through a tie-up with Meherbai Tata Memorial Hospital adjacent to the TMH. There will be a helpdesk, printed prescriptions and dedicated surgery slots for TMH Prime patients and transparency in treatment costs.

Jamshedpureans appeared happy with this move. "This service will help non-Tata employees with quality facilities under one roof. Doctors in private practice demand exorbitant fees. This will be curbed," said V.K. Singh, a vet in Mango.

Has Tata Main Hospital taken the right step? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com