Harsh Vardhan lauds states' contribution in popularising telemedicine service platforms
Aug 09, 2020
New Delhi [India], Aug 9 : On the completion of 1.5 lakh teleconsultations through 'eSanjeevani' and 'eSanjeevaniOPD', the Union Health Ministry's telemedicine service platforms, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan lauded the states' contribution in popularising and implementing their usage.
Since the time of its rollout in November 2019, the teleconsultation by eSanjeevani and eSanjeevaniOPD have been implemented by 23 states, covering 75 per cent of the population, and the other states are in the process of rolling it out.
The telemedicine service enables patients to consult doctors (eSanjeevani OPD) as well as doctors to consult their peers (eSanjeevani) from their homes, which especially came in handy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We had started implementing the vision of Digital India through broadband and mobile phones at the Ayushman Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres. With the cooperation of states and UTs, and a pool of selfless and talented medical practitioners and specialists, we have been able to provide healthcare services through telemedicine platform such as eSanjeevani. This has substantially augmented our health infrastructure during the COVID pandemic," Dr Harsh Vardhan said.
The event was also attended by MoS Health Ministry, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, among representatives from other states.
Choubey said that the platform would prove to be a "gamechanger for people in the rural areas who do not have easy access to medical specialists located in cities."
As of now, a total of 1,58,000 teleconsultations were offered across the country - out of which, 67,000 consultations were provided through eSanjeevani at Ayushman Bharat HWCs and 91,000 patient to doctor consultations through eSanjeevaniOPD mode, according to a release.
Presently, on an average, around 5,000 consultations per day are provided through both the modes, it added.
The top states which have registered highest consultations over the platform include Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, among others.
