Anurag Khosla CEO, Aetna India talks about telemedicine and its current scenario in India
COVID-19 is gradually moving towards its end. Now we can think and talk beyond survival. India’s medical sector was the centre of attention in the past 18 months. It faced a lot of challenges and pressure during this period but emerged successful. The Government of India is working hard to make the country’s healthcare system world class by focusing on digital healthcare, however the country’s vastness and the diversity pose serious challenges. Telemedicine has rapidly emerged as a potent solution to these challenges.
Making medical facilities available for everyone in a vast and populous country like India will always remain a challenge. The government’s focus in recent time has increased on upgrading the healthcare infrastructure in every part of the country and the continuous efforts have yielded results too. However, despite this some areas/ segments remain under-covered which apparently is a characteristic of every developing nation. The deficiency of competent healthcare services in many parts of the country compel people to migrate to bigger cities in search of better facilities.
Evolving role of telemedicine
Telemedicine has emerged as an efficient solution to such challenges. It is not a new concept, however until a few years ago it was not very popular as a lot of people were skeptical regarding its success. They were not sure whether they would get a similar diagnosis by a doctor on video or phone call as they would get on a personal visit. The advent of COVID-19, however, turned the tables. During COVID-19, when visiting the doctors personally was not possible, most people started shifting to telemedicine as their only choice. It is during this period that the true potential of telemedicine was realised. Telemedicine not only helps people receive medical attention from the comfort of their homes, it also helps ease the burden on the health care infrastructure. It can also help people in the remotest parts of the country receive consultation from the best doctors available anywhere. The introduction of Artificial intelligence in healthcare has removed the constraints of time and place from telemedicine. Most importantly, telemedicine has made healthcare much more affordable than before.
If implemented properly telemedicine can do wonders for India. The demographic challenges of India connote that Telemedicine will never be in shortage of demand, at least not in the near future. India has the highest number of internet and smartphone users. High speed networks like 4g and 5g make the spread of technology easier and faster. India is among the young nations in the world in terms of the median age of the citizens. Younger generation is much more inclined toward adopting new technologies. All these factors make telemedicine a very promising avenue for the Indian healthcare sector.
Initiatives taken
Governments, corporate and social organisations have realised the winds of time and all in their capacities are engaging the digital healthcare providers in ensuring healthcare at home through telemedicine and virtual consultation. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (GoI) is aggressively promoting telemedicine in India. It has taken several initiatives like National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), National Health Helpline (Doctor on Call), Centre for Health Informatics, Inter-operable Health Records, Integrated Health Information Platform and several others. The National Digital Health Authority (NDHA) has also been established for the promotion of telemedicine and adoption & regulation of e-health standards in the country. The government has been doing its bit to promote telemedicine in India, however without proper support from the industry it will be extremely difficult to realise the goal of providing healthcare to every Indian through the digital means. The industry is the source of innovation and investment in new technology. The larger players in the Indian healthcare industry also need to become proactive in adopting telemedicine and invest in new technologies.
Conclusion
With the technology innovation healthcare services like medicines, health check-up, doctor on call, specialists consultation and much more have become more accessible. Moreover, with the help of Artificial Intelligence algorithms and the Internet of Medical Things, development and innovation in medicine, diagnostics, drugs, and personalized care can be done. Integration of technology in healthcare services bolster patient experience by implementing digital solutions through interconnected processes and systems to perform the processes with greater accuracy and efficiency. With such services in place, the healthcare sector can provide a plethora of benefits to its users. With online tele/video doctor consultations, people not only get expert medical guidance sitting at home, but the hospitals are also able to manage the records in a much more efficient way. Apart from getting a consultation at home, patients are saved from the cumbersome process of waiting in the long queues outside the clinics or hospitals. This also enables the hospitals in improvising their internal communications where they can populate the information by organizing online discussions, webinars, etc. and share the information on a real-time basis.
Overall, India is adopting new technologies fast. Telemedicine is rapidly making inroads in the Indian healthcare sector. It has the potential to revolutioniSe the Indian healthcare system in a matter of a few years. However, like everything else, the implementation of the telemedicine in the Indian healthcare sector needs to be carefully planned and executed. The government needs to timely formulate and implement policies to govern telemedicine in the country. In addition to government initiatives, the industry as a whole needs to come together and collaborate to make digital healthcare a success.
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