The Rajasthan Government is set to launch SETU (Simplified Emergency Transfer and Urgent Referral), a first of its kind fully automated digital emergency referral system aimed at transforming emergency healthcare delivery across the state. The technology driven platform will enable real time coordination between hospitals, ambulances and emergency response teams, ensuring critically ill patients are referred to the most appropriate healthcare facility without delays. Once operational, Rajasthan will become the first state in India to implement a fully automated digital emergency referral network, marking a major milestone in the state’s digital health transformation.

The SETU platform has been developed to streamline patient transfers by providing healthcare professionals with real time hospital bed availability, specialist services, ambulance tracking through GPS, digital patient records and referral management on a single integrated platform. The system will enable doctors at referring hospitals to instantly share a patient’s medical history, vital signs, diagnostic reports and treatment details with receiving hospitals, allowing specialists to prepare in advance and reduce treatment delays during the critical “golden hour.”

Initially, the digital referral network will be implemented across 15 districts, with Rabindranath Tagore Medical College (RNT), Udaipur, serving as the nodal institution for the pilot phase. According to officials, the platform has already been tested on more than 3,500 emergency cases, demonstrating improved coordination and faster patient referrals. The state government plans to gradually expand the system across Rajasthan, integrating district hospitals, medical colleges, trauma centres and ambulance services into a unified emergency care network.

The initiative aligns with Rajasthan’s broader digital healthcare strategy and complements the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), under which the state has made significant progress in adopting ABHA IDs, electronic health records and interoperable digital health services. By integrating emergency referrals with digital health infrastructure, SETU is expected to enhance continuity of care, reduce unnecessary patient transfers and improve resource utilisation across the public healthcare system.

Healthcare experts have welcomed the initiative, noting that timely referral and coordinated emergency response are critical to improving outcomes in cases of trauma, cardiac emergencies, stroke and obstetric complications. By leveraging real time data, GPS enabled ambulance management and digital clinical information sharing, the SETU Digital Emergency Referral System is expected to significantly strengthen Rajasthan’s emergency healthcare infrastructure, reduce avoidable delays in treatment and serve as a scalable model for emergency care digitisation across India.