UP government clears decks for telemedicine

LUCKNOW: Patients, who are unable to visit hospital OPDs and clinics for treatment or routine check-up due to the lockdown, will now get doctors’ advice through telemedicine.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday directed the health department to provide health services to patients through telemedicine, principal secretary, health, Amit Mohan Prasad said at a press conference .

The health department had now decided to utilise the services of government doctors and retired doctors for the telemedicine service, Prasad said.

The department will invite doctors to register on its website for tele-consultation with patients in 75 districts.

The registered doctors would be urged to fix the time at which the patients can contact them for consultation, he said.

The patients may contact doctors registered with the health department on the call centre number 18001805145, he said.

Through the call centre helpline, the department was providing counselling to people with mental problems and it had hired 100 counsellors for the purpose, he said. While the state government was committed to providing emergency services to people in hospitals, it was also working on a plan to protect doctors, nurses and paramedical staff from infection, he said.

The health department had now prepared a plan to train doctors and paramedical staff discharging emergency duties in the hospitals as well as maternal and child care hospitals, Prasad said. A training capsule has been prepared for medical staff in all

the 75 districts through video conferencing. The training programme will be held from 4pm to 6pm daily during which the doctors will be told how to protect themselves and follow the Covid protocol while providing treatment to patients, he said.