eSanjeevani

Context:

Union Health Ministry’s National Telemedicine Service – eSanjeevani has crossed another milestone by completing 7 million (70 lakh) consultations. 

About eSanjeevani

• The scheme was started in November 2019.
• Also called the National Teleconsultation Service, it aims to provide healthcare services to patients in their homes. 
• The eSanjeevani OPD portal and system has been developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in Mohali.
• eSanjeevani – a doctor to patient telemedicine system has been deployed nationally for the Miinistry of Health & Family Welfare under Ayushman Bharat Scheme of Government of India.
• The scheme is particularly useful during times of pandemic Coivd-19 as it helps people avoid going out to consult a doctor or visit a hospital. 
• Through eSanjeevani OPD, anyone can seek medical advice and medication through audio and video. With the introduction of this service, people living in the remotest areas will also be able to get their health related consultation.
• National Teleconsultation Service of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is first of its kind online OPD service offered by a country government to its citizens.
• National Teleconsultation Service aims to provide healthcare services to patients in their homes. Safe & structured video based clinical consultations between a doctor in a hospital and a patient in the confines of his home are being enabled.
• Leading 10 States in terms of adoption (number of consultations) of eSanjeevani are Andhra Pradesh (16,32,377), Tamil Nadu (12,66,667), Karnataka (12,19,029), Uttar Pradesh (10,33,644), Gujarat (3,03,426), Madhya Pradesh (2,82,012), Maharashtra (2,25,138), Bihar (2,23,197), Kerala (1,99,339) and Uttarakhand (1,66,827).

Difference between eSanjeevani and eSanjeevani OPD

eSanjeevani: It is a doctor to doctor telemedicine system that has been deployed nationally for the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare under Ayushman Bharat Scheme. It extends the reach of specialized healthcare services to masses in both rural areas and isolated communities. It tackles the issues of uneven distribution of healthcare personnel and infrastructure by bridging the divide that exists between urban and rural, rich and poor, in terms of access to healthcare services.

eSanjeevani was launched in 2019. The first state to launch this service was Andhra Pradesh.

eSanjeevani OPD: This is based on the eSanjeevani model and offers OPD consultation services to people in the comfort of their homes. This was launched during the COVID pandemic in April 2020. Here, doctor to patient teleconsultation is offered free of cost to the patients.

eSanjeevani OPD was launched in 2020.

Benefits of telemedicine

Telemedicine benefits patients in the following ways:

• Transportation: Patients can avoid spending gas money or wasting time in traffic with video consultations.
• No missing work: Today, individuals can schedule a consultation during a work break or even after work hours.
• Childcare/Eldercare Challenges: Those who struggle to find care options can use telemedicine solutions

Source: PIB