Teleconsultation – An Essential Healthcare System for The Rural India

We have come a long way in the healthcare system. The advancement in health care we observe now would not have been possible 20-30 years ago. One of such advancements is Teleconsultation which is already adopted by private doctors and is expected to grow at a higher speed. The government has also released new guidelines for teleconsultation in India in March 2020, and also the Indian Space Research Organization has come up with varieties of initiatives related to telemedicine. 
 
It is evident from the above initiatives that teleconsultation is going to have a bright future in the coming years especially in the rural part of India it can prove to be a boon. In rural places of India providing health care services in person is challenging due to the limited resources. One of the major advantages of teleconsultation in rural places can be saving effort and costs for rural patients as they will not need to travel long distances for consulting doctors. Let us discuss more on how teleconsultation can improve the rural healthcare system.

How Teleconsultation can bridge the Healthcare gap in rural places of India?

• In a developing country like India, 65.53% of Indians live in rural villages as per the reports of 2019 and most of the people living in the villages lack access to basic health care facilities. The Indian government spends just 1.2% to 2.5% of GDP on healthcare and a very little part of it reaches remote areas. It becomes difficult for the doctors to practice in villages where the facilities are not favorable for them to practice smoothly. 
• Teleconsultation can turn out to be the fastest and most affordable mode to bridge the health care gap. This mode can help the patients of villages to consult the top doctors in India even from the remotest corners of the country. As mentioned above teleconsultation has already shown its efficacy through the network established by the Indian Space Research Organization by connecting 60 specialty hospitals with 306 remote medical college hospitals. 
• The problem of reaching the doctors at the time due to lack of good physical infrastructure, poor roads, and lack of travel options can be hence solved using teleconsultation. 

Advantages of Teleconsultation in India:

1. Ease of Access: With the help of teleconsultation the patients need not travel a long distance to visit the doctor personally. And as a result, can save a lot of time and cost. The patients can get early treatment regardless of how far they are to the finest hospitals. 
2. No-Risk of spreading any disease: With the use of teleconsultation technology to treat patients, the risk of catching any contagious disease will be reduced to the doctors and the other patients in the hospitals. 
3. More convenient and Cost-Effective: It is the most convenient option especially for patients who have mobility issues and are suffering from a chronic disease where consulting doctors on a regular basis is important, teleconsultation is very beneficial in that case as they can access healthcare service even without stepping out of their houses. 

How Doctors can be Benefitted from Teleconsultation

1. Less Exposure to Illness: Health care providers and doctors can reduce their exposure to contagious diseases by connecting with patients through a secure platform. Teleconsultation enables doctors to diagnose patients and prescribe medications without risking their safety and health.
2. More Flexibility: Health providers can schedule appointments during hours that work best for them and their patients. 
3. Increased Service: The health care providers will be able to see more patients in less time as a result will be able to provide service and reach more people in need.
4. Reduced number of people in Hospitals: Through remote teleconsultation, the doctors can reduce the burden on tertiary care hospitals by reducing the rush and workload on hospital staff and ensuring the patients receive the best quality care they need. 

How Vanya Health can help in the telemedicine space?

Vanya Health is a platform that connects billions of patients to the most advanced healthcare network. This platform helps the patients choose and reach the trustworthy source of health care providers through their wide entrusted network of best hospitals and best doctors. Patients with severe health conditions can have the option to consult a multi-specialty board of doctors virtually. Teleconsultation with the nearby doctor is also possible using this platform. They provide user-efficient wellness advice which can be accessed from anywhere at the hour of need. 

Benefits of Choosing Vanya Health:

• Vanya Health provides an advanced, safe, secure and easily accessible platform for telemedicine.    
• Vanya Health provides continuous guidance to the patients related to the hospitals and doctors they can consult virtually and hence promotes teleconsultation.
• They have details of all the types of treatment that a hospital has for the specific disease.
• Vanya Health helps the patients in communicating with specialized doctors.
• They help the patients in getting 24*7 virtual assistance through telemedicine apps.

 The Bottom Line: 

The need for the adoption of teleconsultation in the whole country is urgent, especially in rural areas. Even though the acceptance of this new technology is slow, yet with continuous efforts by the government and health care industry we can reach and save more lives that are unable to reach the health center due to various challenges. Initially, few selected people in villages can be trained who can train other villagers. This is how Teleconsultation can reach maximum villages.