Online consultations may soon become integral part of healthcare, say docs

CHENNAI: From being a possibility in the future, telemedicine consultation has come to the verge of becoming an integral part of healthcare in India, as people are shunning visit to hospital due to the fear of exposing themselves to coronavirus infection. It has grown about thrice in the recent months, indicated a survey, while experts say that telemedicine consultation was here to stay.

According to a survey by DrOnA Health and Mankind Pharma on growth of telemedicine consultation in the State showed that digital adoption of medical services grew three times in the recent months. More than 3,000 people took part in the survey, of whom about 60 per cent reported high satisfaction with telemedicine consultation while 54 per cent said they would continue it in future, too.

About 70 per cent said they consulted doctors known to them, and nearly 60 per cent made use of it for follow-up consultations. A large number of the respondents added they adopted the telemedicine platform preferred by the doctor.

The perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 infection during visits to clinics is the main driving force behind choosing online consultation, which is, in comparison, safer, convenient and economical. Soon, doctors added, telemedicine would become an integral part of Indian healthcare.

It offered a solution for patients from remote areas to access quality healthcare, said Rajeev Juneja, CEO, Mankind Pharma. “Our survey has clearly shown that patients in India are proactively looking for telemedicine solutions.”

Other platforms offering the solutions like Practo said they have recorded a rise in the number of consultations. “Technology has helped us find a perfect solution in video consultations as it provides 24*7 easy access to verified doctors in less than a minute,” said Siddhartha Nihalani, vice president, Practo Products.