Blog By – Pushpank Mishra
Disease is a condition when ease is disturbed. Anything which is out of its ease zone, is facing a disease. This is the literal meaning of disease. COVID-19 is a disease as it disturbed not only humans but also affected the world economy, relationship between humans and nations as well as the law and order. During the recovery, human body produces immunity against the disease. In the same way, many immune systems developed during and after COVID-19 and some of the systems which were already in existence got strengthened. Economy got online payment services, work from home, e shopping (commerce) and many more things as immunity. Similarly human and diplomatic relations got video conferencing and online presence more strengthened. Health sector got telehealth and telemedicine as an immunity. Law and order got many acts, rule and regulations. COVID-19 has impacted badly every aspect of life. Remembering the second wave of COVID 19 is still one of the worst mental traumas. Disease with unknown origin affected almost every known origination. With the advent of COVID-19 everything seemed to be stagnant. As an immunity to COVID-19 we saw country wide strict lockdown in the body of laws and order. The strict country wide imposed lockdown posed challenges in front of health infrastructure of India. As a consequences Telehealth and Telemedicine emerged out as a boon to public distressed both physically and mentally by COVID-19.
One might be confused between telehealth, telemedicine and e- health so let us clear this confusion.
Telehealth is the use of digital media by patients, the medical community and other stakeholders to enhance human health. Telehealth is a subset of e-health, which includes providing medical services to patients through virtual channels, managing healthcare, teaching and educating HCWs (Health care workers), and distributing health related information to HCPs. Telehealth goes well beyond the straight forward remote communication between doctors and prospects or between many other parties.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the significance of telehealth as a business model for increasing healthcare readily available and boosting healthcare qualities for the countries people. Telehealth has great potential in developing country such as India, where healthcare facilities are primarily available in urban areas but the large portion of population (67%) resides in rural areas. At the same time, Telehealth’s altogether reach is facilitated by an impressive teledensity of almost 90%. Yet Telemedicine growth in India has been limited so far, but the COVID-19 outbreak has transformed the Telehealth ecosystem by lowering the danger of transmission through personal contact.
A significant segment of the Indian population has high health care needs, aspirations for better healthcare for themselves or their family members, and significant use of ICT (Information and communication technology). They also have positive view of Telehealth services. The view on Telehealth services is influenced by various socio – demographic elements such as, location, education, qualification and family size. During India’s COVID-19 pandemic, significant changes were made to telehealth regulations to facilitate
telehealth delivery and ensure continuity of medical services. The government and regulatory bodies have taken steps to adapt to the changing healthcare landscape. Some key measures were e.g.
Telemedicine Guidelines: In March 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued “Telemedicine Practice Guidelines” to create a regulatory framework for telehealth consultations. These guidelines described protocols for virtual consultations, prescriptions and patient data storage.
Licensing Requirements Relaxation: Licensing requirements for telemedicine operators have been temporarily relaxed to address healthcare worker shortages in certain areas. It allowed qualified health care providers to provide telehealth services within the state without additional licensing.
Ease prescriptions: Authorities allow digital prescriptions to be issued during the pandemic because telehealth consultations require a never-ending process. The purpose of this temporary measure was to ensure that patients can receive medication without going to health facilities.
Insurance: Health insurance providers have been encouraged to include telemedicine services in their insurance. It helped patients take advantage of insurance benefits for virtual consultations, making it easier to access health services during lockdown and restriction of movement.
Promotion of telehealth platforms: The government has promoted the use of telehealth platforms and collaboration between healthcare providers and technology companies. It aimed to improve the reach and efficiency of telemedicine services across the country.
Continuous Updates: Due to the dynamic nature of the pandemic, regulatory agencies have continued to issue updates and clarifications to adapt to the changing situation. That flexibility allowed for continuous improvement of telehealth recipes.
Together, these measures aimed to ensure that telehealth could effectively support healthcare while minimizing physical contact during the COVID-19 crisis. It is important to note that some procedures and guidelines may have evolved over time and it is recommended to consult the latest information from the relevant health authorities for the most detailed information.