The ubiquity of digital resources has enabled telemedicine to come into picture. This would’ve otherwise been impossible, considering the current health infrastructure in India. India is at the cusp of a revolution that can transform lives and turn out to be a huge economic booster. Telemedicine is the diagnosis and treatment of patient using telecommunications and digital technology, thereby making healthcare available despite barriers of distance and accessibility. World’s second largest populated country has faced the issue of equitable distribution of healthcare since time immemorial. The doctor-to-patient ratio is appalling in India, which is 0.7 doctors per 1000 people, against the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of 1:1000 people. Urban-Rural and Gender Gap Concentration of top healthcare facilities and experienced doctors in the urban side has deprived the rural side of proper healthcare facilities. Rural people have to travel to the urban cities to access essential facilities, which takes them double the cost and efforts. A study conducted by Harvard, revealed that access to basic healthcare is a dream for many Indian women. This all stems from the stereotypes and women tend to be silent because of pressure. Evolution of Telemedicine in India In 2001, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) kindled the fire by setting up a Telemedicine Project by linking Apollo Hospital, Chennai with Apollo Rural Hospital at Aragonda village of Andhra Pradesh. The state of telemedicine as a game-changer today are the combined efforts of ISRO, Department of Information Technology (DIT), Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MHFW), state governments and private hospitals. Telemedicine augmented during the Covid-19 Pandemic, with more people opting for the service as a better and non-contagion risk method. Expert advices from doctors are just a click away. Adoption of Tele-ICU was a major technological advancement; ICU patients were monitored from a command centre. “The coronavirus pandemic has pushed telemedicine to the forefront and it is witnessing an action-packed surge,” says Vikram Thaploo, CEO, Telehealth, Apollo Hospitals. Efficacy and Challenges MHFW published a report stating that GOI’s telemedicine service, ‘eSanjeevani’ completed 3 million consultations. Statistics suggested that citizens from tier 3 and 4 cities found it beneficial. Another initiative by Indian Council of Medical Research, ‘Arogyashree’ is working on the design of ECG jackets, which can be used to monitor a patient’s ECG without hospitalization. Health tech apps in India have increased the accessibility to healthcare. Platforms like Navia Healthcare, Meddo, Practo etc. have been successful in using technology to deliver services. Even though Telemedicine is exponentially growing, the lack of guidelines and governance surrounding its practice in India is ambiguous. Legal regulations are important for encouraging the practice and giving it authenticity. Other challenges include lack of awareness, unavailability of basic internet services in rural areas, language and communication issues, digitization of health records, lack of physical environment posing a risk of wrong diagnosis etc. All the major players need to work in tandem to boost the telemedicine ecosystem. The rapid advancement in technology hints at telemedicine becoming the future in India.
10 Jan 2022
Shirin Pajnoo
