Centre’s telemedicine service records over 700,000 consultations

Photo Credits: Bloomberg

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had established the national telemedicine service, eSanjeevani, for assisting the citizens of the country, which has registered more than 700,000 consultations, according to the data revealed by the government.

And, the latest 100,000 consultations have taken place in just the time span of the last 11 days.

The innovative digital approach of eSanjeevani, which focuses on giving out-patient department (OPD) services online has garnered a lot of attention when 68-day lockdown restrictions were announced across the country starting March 25, for containing the transmission of Covid-19 viral infection.

Launched amid the first phase of nation-wide lockdown on April 13, eSanjeevaniOPD was of great assistance when non-Covid 19 services were the most affected by providing services right within the limitations of their houses.

As a digital telemedicine services platform, the e-SanjeevaniOPD is evolving to be largest OPD services in India, taking up as many as 10,000 consultations per day.

The Ministry of Heath and Family Welfare stated, “Telemedicine is beneficial for patients. It is also favourable for doctors because it limits the contact with patients who are present virtually. eSanjeevani has removed the requirement of doctors to be at a specific location to provide services. It enables states, especially those with large geographical areas, manage their human resources better.”

The statement further iterated, “Patients, who are seeking medical consultations, are placed in a virtual queue. Doctors are also available virtually. Each online OPD consultation generates an ePrescription which can be used to buy medicines or go for diagnostic investigations. Kerala and Tamil Nadu (TN) have already issued orders to ensure that ePrescriptions are honored.”

The digital OPD platform has gained rapid popularity in the states of Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Karnataka.

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