Focus: GS III- Health
Why in News?
Union Government’s free telemedicine service, e-Sanjeevani, has recently crossed another milestone by touching nine crore teleconsultations mark.
What is E-Sanjeevani?
- Ministry eevani AB-HWC) in the hub and spoke model and patient to doctor (eSanjeevani OPD).
- E-Sanjeevani OPD (out-patient department) is a telemedicine variant for the public to seek health services remotely; it was rolled out on 13th of April 2020 during the first lockdown in the country.
- e-Sanjeevani OPD is a Govt of India flagship telemedicine platform developed by the Centre for Development of Advance Computing (C-DAC), Mohali under the aegis of MoHFW, Govt of India.
- It provides free consultations to any Indian citizen.
- However, with covid cases surging, the demand for doctors is up while the supply has reduced due to doctors being pulled out for covid ward duties.
- It enables virtual meetings between the patients and doctors & specialists from geographically dispersed locations, through video conferencing that occurs in real-time.
- At the end of these remote consultations, eSanjeevani generates electronic prescriptions which can be used for sourcing medicines.
- Andhra Pradesh was the first state to roll out eSanjeevani AB-HWC services in November 2019.
Benefits of telemedicine
- Transportation: Patients can avoid spending gas money or wasting time in traffic with video consultations.
- No missing work: Today, individuals can schedule a consultation during a work break or even after work hours.
- Childcare/Eldercare Challenges: Those who struggle to find care options can use telemedicine solutions.
