Telemedicine - Your Doctor Is Just a Smart Phone Call, Away

There was no legislation on the practice of telemedicine till now in India, but the recent release of guidelines on March 25, 2020 by the Health Ministry plus the Covid 19 pandemic has fast tracked this concept to become reality

By Namrata Kohli

India is seeing a new way in which patients seek medical help from doctors and healthcare practitioners. With fear of contracting infections in the wake of Covid 19 pandemic, people are refraining from physically going to the hospitals and are instead consulting their doctors through video, phone and internet-based platforms like web, chat, apps. No wonder then, telemedicine has got a shot in the arm with the likes of Medicity in Gurugram seeing ten times jump in average daily remote consultations while Practo has registered a 100% increase week-on-week, and Portea medical has been receiving 100 COVID-19 related queries a day.

Teleconsult is especially popular for lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and chronic endocrinological disorders such as hypothyroidism which need a regular, almost quarterly check-up. This can be done remotely as most of the times there is some dosage adjustment based on reports and telemedicine can be a great tool for time management for both doctor and the patient. Mental health is another big area what with the social stigma associated with “seeing” a psychiatrist.

There is high demand for “second opinion” consultations in telemedicine where people submit and upload all reports and take advice especially for ailments such as cancer. For hospitals that have super specialists, there is a huge emerging “doctor to doctor” consult where one doctor (eg a general physician) is able to take advise over a niche area from a super specialist (such as a head and neck cancer specialist). A lot of patients come from other cities and after the treatment, the subsequent follow up can be also done remotely.

https://www.business-standard.com/article/pf/using-telemedicine-to-get-critical-medical-advice-in-times-of-the-lockdown-120041701165_1.html

Comments

Telemedicine to the aid of home-bound patients in the time of Covid-19

Telemedicine in covid-19 times: You can get to the doctor almost anytime, anywhere, be it on your screen, via voice or plain text for a lower price than in-person consult Namrata Kohli | New Delhi Telehealth is bridging the gap between patient and physicians. The physician can now virtually visit the stay-at-home patient and heal from a distance Telemedicine in covid-19 times: When 37-year-old Priyanka was down with fever and dry cough, she decided to consult a doctor over a WhatsApp call before giving her blood sample for an RT-PCR test. Based on her symptoms, the physician alerted her that it wasn't a mild Covid infection but a moderate one. His diagnosis was confirmed when the test report showed a viral load count of 20. “The massive benefits of telemedicine became evident during the pandemic,” says Priyanka’s doctor, New Delhi-based consultant physician Dr Arvind Kumar. “Everything is about time and if my patients have complications late at ni...

Deadline to documents: What you must know about visa application process

Come summers and everyone wants to head overseas for a holiday. But the visa nightmare can completely wreck your holiday plans if you haven’t prepared to apply well in advance. Know about varying visa rules, visa processing times and cost across countries By Namrata Kohli This summer, India was the third country after China and Turkey in terms of number of Schengen area visa applications, as reported by the European Commission. For foreign travel, if there is one singular thing which is most important it’s your visa- or in simple words, that stamp/endorsement on your passport that you are allowed to enter, leave, or stay for a specified period of time in another country. For many, the visa process can be plagued with innumerable issues. Says Abheek Anand, a 32-year-old Delhi based entrepreneur who was planning a trip to the US this summer, “Visa applications tend to take a long time to process, often due to high demand and bureaucratic inefficiencies. Many countries require exten...

Summer fashion style goes comfortable, environmentally sustainable

Environment-conscious Indians are turning to sustainable clothing. (File photo) Namrata Kohli New Delhi Sustainable fashion is headlining the summer fashion. Make natural fibres like cotton, linen, khadi, pure silk and handloom, your Summer BFF By Namrata Kohli UNIQLO just launched its 2024 Spring/Summer Campaign ‘Summers are for Linen’, starring Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif. “During hot summers, breathable and lightweight fabrics are a necessity. I love this collection as it is so versatile and offers timeless style for anywhere – whether I’m at work or enjoying my day at home” says Katrina Kaif who is seen wearing Linen Shirts, Cotton Tapered Pants, and Jumpsuits through a montage of summer walking with friends along the beach to tranquil moments spent at home and taking a stroll in nature in this comfortable yet stylish collection. Conventional cotton, khadi magic, silk blends and classy linens are all in vogue in summer wear as they take new forms and a...

The Writer’s Flight

Search This Blog