The telemedicine service platforms under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare – ‘eSanjeevani’ and ‘eSanjeevaniOPD’ – have achieved a collective milestone of 1.5 lakh tele-consultations. Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have emerged as the top two states leveraging these platforms most effectively with 32,035 and 28,960 consultations respectively. These platforms, rolled out since November 2019, have been incorporated by 23 states and have been developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) Mohali.
Understanding Telemedicine
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), telemedicine refers to the application of digital technology in delivering healthcare services, especially when geographical distance is a limiting factor. It involves the use of Information Technology (IT) by healthcare professionals for diagnosis, treatment, prevention of diseases and injuries, research, evaluation and facilitating healthier communities. Tele-consultation, a subset of telemedicine, bridges the geographic barrier between a patient and a doctor through IT.
Highlights of eSanjeevani
‘eSanjeevani’, a doctor-to-doctor telemedicine system, is part of the Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre (AB-HWCs) programme. AB-HWCs are expected to extend the reach of primary healthcare services to communities. The objective is to create a network connecting all 1,50,000 HWCs using the hub-and-spoke model by December 2022. Presently, more than 3,000 HWCs across 10 States are providing telemedicine services.
Key Features of the Hub-and-Spoke Model
The hub-and-spoke model consists of an anchor establishment or ‘hub’, which offers a full array of services, supplemented by secondary establishments or ‘spokes’. These spokes provide limited services and refer patients requiring intensive care to the hub for treatment.
Role of eSanjeevaniOPD Amid COVID-19
‘eSanjeevaniOPD’ was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to enable patient-to-doctor tele-consultations. This free e-health service has facilitated people in availing health services without travel, enabling two-way interaction and prescription generation. The platform offers over 40 online Out Patient Department (OPD) services, with more than half being speciality OPDs, including Gynaecology, Psychiatry, AntiRetroviral Therapy (ART) for the AIDS/HIV patients, Non-Communicable Disease (NCD), etc.
The Way Forward
These platforms have the potential to revolutionise healthcare access, especially in rural areas where specialist medical services are often not readily available. Telemedicine not only saves time and cost but also aligns perfectly with the government’s vision for ‘Digital India’, proving particularly crucial in managing situations created by a pandemic like COVID-19.