e-Sanjeevani : Milestone Of Nine Crore Teleconsultations

News: The nine crore record for teleconsultations was reached by the government’s free telemedicine programme, e-Sanjeevani. According to Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, eSanjeevani is giving India’s digital health initiative wings and ensuring that patients may get high-quality healthcare online even in distant areas of the nation.

E-Sanjivani

  • The Indian government’s first-ever online OPD (outpatient) consultation facility is called eSanjeevani. The government claims that this is the first time a government has provided its citizens with a service of this kind.
  • The programme began in November 2019 and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare oversees its operation.
  • It also goes by the name of National Teleconsultation Service and intends to give patients medical care in the comfort of their own homes.
  • It involves an organised and secure online teleconsultation between a patient and a doctor (eSanjeevani OPD).
  • The Mohali-based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) created the eSanjeevani OPD portal and system.
  • The state governments select the doctors who will be on the service’s panel.
  • Several states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab, and Jharkhand, have begun to provide specialised medical consultation services.
  • The service is accessible via a mobile application as well.

Significance of e-Sanjeevani

  • In a nation like ours, where the doctor-to-patient ratio is substantially lower than what is recommended by the WHO, telemedicine services are crucial. There is one doctor for every 1445 Indians in India (the WHO recommends a ratio of one doctor per 1000 people).
  • In rural and distant sections of the country, medical services, including doctors, are extremely rare. In such circumstances, it is crucial to build a system that would offer consulting services to residents of rural, underdeveloped, and hilly areas. Here, eSanjeevani OPD can be beneficial.
  • Additionally, it is critical that people find a method to schedule medical appointments during the present pandemic. This can limit their access to hospitals and PHCs and raise their risk of contracting infections, particularly COVID-19. This has helped to control the spread of Covid while also making allowances for vital healthcare that isn’t Covid-related.