The announcements made in the Union Budget 2014-15 are steps in the right direction at providing impetus to healthcare in India, particularly delivery of services in rural areas. Among other initiatives announced to give much fillip to the healthcare ecosystem, the National Rural Internet and Technology Mission— to set up broadband in villages, in addition to promoting local manufacturing of hardware and software products—will make medical counselling more accessible to the underserved and rural communities. Telemedicine applications that run on robust broadband networks can help in immediate diagnoses and care needed, to say, prevent diseases from getting fatal or prevent premature births, by connecting qualified doctors in the urban areas to patients in remote areas lacking primary and advanced healthcare infrastructure.
– Alexander Varghese, Chief Administrative Officer, UST Global