Modernising Public Health in Gujarat: How Digital Adoption and Service Excellence Drive Patient Satisfaction

As India’s digital health revolution gains momentum under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), Gujarat has emerged as a frontrunner through technology-driven initiatives like the SRESTHA-G project. This study examines the impact of Digital Healthcare Adoption (DHA) and Service Quality (SQ) on Patient Satisfaction (PS) across public and private hospitals in Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara. Using a cross-sectional survey of 350 respondents and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the research validates that both DHA and SQ are significant predictors of satisfaction, explaining 61.2% of the model’s variance. Crucially, Telehealth Services (TS), such as e-Sanjeevani, significantly moderate the DHA-PS relationship ($\beta = 0.124, p < .05$), indicating a “digital trust” spillover that amplifies the benefits of technology adoption. While the “human touch” of empathetic medical staff remains the bedrock of care in Gujarat, these findings demonstrate that traditional service quality is profoundly enhanced by digital efficiency. The study recommends that Gujarat’s healthcare administrators prioritize hybrid “high-tech, high-touch” models to maximize patient delight and ensure a sustainable digital health ecosystem.