Virtual Health Care in India in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Aims and Objectives: To know the role of telemedicine in fighting the pandemic situation of Covid-19 in India and facing the double burden of diseases (Communicable and non-communicable). Material and Methods: Maintaining the norms of social distancing, we have tried to collect secondary data from different sources which will help us know how physicians and              patients' consultations are being done in this pandemic situation through teleconsultation or telemedicine. Results: According to Bain and Company’s India Venture Report 2020, healthcare investments saw a rise in 2019 across wellness and health platforms, e-pharma, and even some telemedicine-focused players. Telemedicine space in India has gone up by almost 40 percent in 2019 – $178.4 million across 16 deals.Advancements in technology have enabled doctors from urban India to treat patients in rural areas remotely through video-call consultations. In addition,services like self-monitoring devices, disease screening solutions, and healthcare management solutions can be provided for newer threats like the recent novel coronavirus where video-call consultations aren’t enough. Conclusion: The entire healthcare system is under attack by the novel COVID-19 virus that has no proven treatment. Hospitals are being stretched beyond their capacity and healthcare workers are falling ill. Telehealth providers, enablers, and suppliers represent a tangible resource that can remove certain patients from the hospital setting by evaluating them remotely, tracking their progress, and helping all stakeholders remain in contact as the intensive efforts for a vaccine and effective treatment are underway. Telehealth is inappropriate for all COVID-19 patients, but some patients could be examined, treated, and followed up using a mix of virtual visits, remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices, and mobile health services, apps, and wearable devices.