In about 9 months because it was inaugurated, the Union well being ministry’s tele-medicine service platform has supplied not less than 100,000 on-line consultations, exhibits information launched by the ministry on Sunday, resulting in affected person to physician consultations inside the confines of a affected person’s residence, in addition to physician to physician consultations.
The service has notably proved to be helpful for sufferers in the course of the previous six months as visits to hospitals have been restricted due to the excessive danger of contracting coronavirus illness (Covid-19) an infection.
On common, about 5,000 tele consultations are being supplied per day.
The well being minister Harsh Vardhan held a assessment assembly with States and Union territories on progress made by the platform that is known as eSanjeevani and eSanjeevaniOPD.
In a brief span of time since November 2019, tele-consultation by eSanjeevani and
eSanjeevaniOPD have been carried out by 23 States that cowl 75% of the inhabitants, and different States are within the technique of rolling it out.
“Beneath the steerage of… Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), we’ve got began implementing the imaginative and prescient of Digital India by means of broadband and cellphones on the Ayushman Bharat – Well being and Wellness Centres. With the cooperation of States and UTs, and a pool of selfless and proficient medical practitioners and specialists, we’ve got been capable of present healthcare companies by means of tele-medicine platform akin to eSanjeevani. This has considerably augmented our well being infrastructure in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic,” mentioned Harsh Vardhan.
The power might be notably helpful for individuals in villages the place entry to a healthcare facility will not be that widespread.
“This eSanjeevani platform has enabled two kinds of telemedicine companies viz. doctor-to-doctor
(eSanjeevani) and patient-to-doctor (eSanjeevani OPD) tele-consultations. The previous is being carried out below the Ayushman Bharat Well being and Wellness Centre (AB-HWCs) programme,” mentioned Ashwini Kumar Choubey, minister of state for well being and household welfare.
The well being ministry plans to implement tele-consultation in all of the 1.5 lakh HWCs (as spokes) in a ‘hub and spoke’ mannequin, by December 2022.
States have recognized and arrange devoted ‘hubs’ in medical schools and district hospitals to supply tele-consultation companies to ‘spokes’ that might be purposeful at sub-health centres and first well being centres. About 12,000 customers comprising group well being officers and medical doctors have been educated to utilize this nationwide e-platform to this point.
Presently, telemedicine is being supplied by means of greater than 3,000 HWCs in 10 States.
The telemedicine platform is internet hosting about 40 on-line out affected person departments (OPDs), and not less than half of those are speciality OPDs that embrace gynaecology, psychiatry, dermatology, ear nostril and throat (ENT), ophthalmology, antiretroviral remedy for the AIDS/HIV sufferers, non-communicable illness and so forth.
Round 3,000 medical doctors have been educated and on-boarded at eSanjeevaniOPD and each day round 250 medical doctors and specialists throughout the nation present eHealth companies.
“Owing to the continued COVID-19 pandemic, the Well being Ministry launched the second tele- session service enabling patient-to-doctor telemedicine by means of ‘eSanjeevaniOPD’. Provided for gratis, this e-health service is quickly gaining reputation as residents in round 20 States are actually consulting medical doctors with out having to go to the hospital bodily…This service is offered as an Android cell software as nicely. This has made it handy for the individuals to avail of the well being companies with out having to journey. It additionally ensures that the affected person will get to see the physician in round 5 minutes after logging in,” mentioned well being ministry in its assertion.
Specialists say demand for telemedicine is rising due to the comfort it offers.
“At Medanta additionally we offer tele-consultation to peripheral hospitals and it really works nicely. In nations like US additionally e-ICUs is a rising idea. Plus, one thing is at all times higher than nothing,” mentioned Dr Yatin Mehta, chairman, important care division, Medanta Hospital.