Technology is playing an important role in every industry today, and out of the various sectors, healthcare is definitely one of the most important which is witnessing huge advancement. The amalgamation of technology with healthcare is responsible for improving and saving countless lives all around the world. One such technology that is revolutionizing the healthcare realm is telemedicine domain. Telemedicine is the use of electronic information to communicate technologies to provide and support healthcare when distance separates the participants.

Although initially considered futuristic and experimental, telemedicine is today a reality and has come to stay. Telemedicine has a variety of applications in patient care, education, research, administration and public health. Worldwide, people living in rural and remote areas struggle to access timely, good-quality speciality medical care. Residents of these areas often have substandard access to speciality healthcare, primarily because specialist physicians are more likely to be located in areas of the concentrated urban population. Telemedicine has the potential to bridge this distance and facilitate healthcare in these remote areas. However, to fulfil the aforementioned desire through telemedicine services, the Indian healthcare industry have to shift from traditional in-person doctor-patient interaction to digitally-enabled remote consultations, according to an EY-IPA study which said the domestic telemedicine market will reach $5.5 billion by 2025.

Findings & Expectations

According to the EY-IPA study, the evolution of teleconsultation and e-pharmacy will be the new norm and around 15-20 per cent of the healthcare ecosystem is expected to shift to virtual care across triaging, consults, remote monitoring, home health, and more. The healthcare industry, driven by the increased digitization will require a strong regulatory framework to protect the patient’s data privacy and prescription substitution. The study stated that the telemedicine market in India will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31 percent for the period 2020–25 and reach USD 5.5 billion.

There is a growth in virtual care such as teleconsultation, telepathology, teleradiology and e–pharmacy in India due to the current pandemic situation. The teleconsultation and e-pharmacy will account for around 95 percent of the telemedicine market by 2025 which amounts to $5.2 billion. With the challenges due to the COVID-19, consumer behaviour and patterns are changing and the new norms of social distancing traditional ways of in-person doctor-patient interaction are being digitally enabled by remote consultations. As per the study, India’s e-pharmacy market is projected to reach 10-12 percent of the overall pharmaceutical sales in the next five years driven by strong regulations increased funding and creation of digital infrastructure.

Even beyond the pandemic, telemedicine is likely to remain a useful option for patients, for follow-up and non-emergency consultations

Telemedicine in COVID Pandemic

This year we learnt that technology in the form of telemedicine services is one of the major changes that India must adopt with open-handed mindset. A disturbing aspect of the lockdown since March 2020 has been the limited access of non-COVID-19 patients to doctors and hospitals. Many private and small hospitals closed temporarily until a better understanding of pandemic protocols and safety precautions emerged. Patients with chronic illnesses needing follow-up, or dialysis, patients on chemotherapy, those with mental illness and others with lifestyle disorders had nowhere to turn to, their condition worsening as they waited. Even when hospitals reopened, many patients stayed away, fearing they may be at higher risk of infection. This distress of patients, as the health system struggled to cope with the virus outbreak, could have been mitigated to some extent if patients were able to have audio and video consultations and share test results, receive counselling, reassurance or follow-up prescriptions. This scenario helped many to realize the importance of the telemedicine space in healthcare.

Though India witnessed an ample acceptance of telemedicine advancement during the lockdown, it can be comprehended through the measures and steps taken by the government of India. The COVID-19 pandemic provided the need for MoHFW to roll out for the first time telemedicine guidelines on March 25, 2020. The guidelines make for a good primer and list video, audio and texting as three broad modes of communication for telemedicine consultation. Not just that the government’s Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana scheme (Arogya Scheme) launched in September 2018 to provide free access to healthcare for 40 percent of people in the country. The Arogya Scheme is yet to reach its potential, but with telemedicine guidelines, it is expected that awareness would be increased and healthcare services would be made available at a greater pace. Further, the teleconsultation platforms launched by the government such as e-Sanjeevani and e-Sanjeevani OPD, have been implemented in 23 states and e-Sanjeevani OPD platform has completed a landmark milestone of 4 lakh teleconsultations, as on September 26, 2020. The scope and potential of telemedicine industry can easily be estimated from these figures.

Conclusion

Even beyond the pandemic, telemedicine is likely to remain a useful option for patients, for follow-up and non-emergency consultations. Once the technology platforms are readied for online video streaming, linked to hospital information systems, electronic medical records and payment gateways, the hospital or clinic will have an outreach capability that can complement other services. Storage and retrieval of data will be critical for the success of e-consultations. Data security would need robust solutions that can resist hacking and data loss; a step that would generate trust in all stakeholders.

While the technology will be a great enabler, evolving regulation should guard areas of patient privacy which is fundamental in relation to healthcare. For wider acceptance and usage, there is a need for a robust regulatory and governance framework that provides the right support for growth.