India is a large nation with a population of more than 138 crores of sundry people. Advancing the healthcare industry in a country like India seems very complex due to its geographic, demographic, and landscape factor. This could only be possible in the space of technology and one such innovation is “Telemedicine”.
Telemedicine helps in providing the clinical solution remotely especially for distant rural communities. Moreover, it helps in saving travel and waiting time for patients and they can receive medical services at their own convenience and at the comfort of their home.
The traditional healthcare system of India faced utter challenges during this ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Due to the nationwide lockdown, people are restricted to their homes and can’t receive medical consultations physically. This menacing situation led the government to amend the regulations and allow healthcare services via video, audio, and texts.
Current Scenario of Telemedicine In India
Scarcity of healthcare professionals in India has reached a high level. According to NCBI, India has a shortage of around 600K doctors and 2 million nurses. WHO recommends 1 doctor per 1000 people, whereas the ratio in India is 1:1445. The ratio of doctor to patient doesn’t seem to improve any time soon as training a new doctor is expensive and time-consuming.
Furthermore, 60% of hospitals, 75% of dispensaries, & 80% of doctors in India are working in urban areas, serving just about 34% of the total population. Thus, causing a severe problem of accessibility for the less fortunate rural population of India.
Telemedicine has the ability to fill out this gap that has been exposed mainly due to the COVID-19 crisis. Healthcare industry is facing three major issues- Awareness, accessibility, and affordability, telemedicine could possibly help to overcome all three.
Types Of Telemedicine Application
According to the timing and nature of information transmitted, telemedicine apps can be classified into 5 basic types:
Real-Time or Synchronous Telemedicine
In these applications both doctors and patients are online at the same time & transmission of data occurs in real-time.
Store and Forward or Asynchronous Telemedicine
The asynchronous application allows patient to store data and forward it to the doctor at a convenient time, doctor then receives the data according to his convenience.
Remote Monitoring
In these types of applications, A wide variety of technological devices are used to monitor health & clinical signs of the patients.
According to the information shared between individuals :
Health professional to health professional
Easier access to specialty care, referrals, and consultation can be achieved by healthcare professionals.
Health professional to patient
Provides direct access to healthcare services to the unreached population of society.
Market and Regulatory Guidelines Of Telemedicine In India
According to the report by Journal 24, Indian telemedicine market is growing at rapid speed and expected to reach 5.4 billion USD by 2025, growing at the CAGR of 31%. The growth is impacting the international economy in terms of revenue, sales, growth rate, and market share showing the huge market size in India.
The rural-urban and rural Indian population who is deprived of quality healthcare services is one of the most prominent reasons behind the huge market size.
Recommended guidelines for Standard for practicing telemedicine in India were first issued by the department of IT and the ministry of communication and information technology in 2003. However, those guidelines were not binding. So, on March 25, 2020, the medical council of India issued the modified guidelines for practicing telemedicine in India.
According to Section-27 of the medical council India Act, 1956, any individual enrolled in Indian medical register can practice in any state of India. Hence, inter-state telemedicine is legal in India. Moreover, it has opened doors for investors to invest in telemedicine service providers in India.
Challenges In Telemedicine In India
Some of the major challenges faced by telemedicine in India:
- Lack of awareness among people
- Lack of proper infrastructure
- Language and communication issues
- Acceptance from both Doctors and patients
- Lack of regulations by the government
Conclusion
Telemedicine in India is still in its inception phase. It might take some time for people to understand this change in healthcare industry and adapt to telemedicine platforms. Technology isn’t a challenge but people are, both doctors and patients have to accept this newer way of working to make telemedicine a successful attempt.