Express Healthcare

How digital interaction among doctors of tier 1 & 3 cities can ensure affordable quality care in India

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Dr Mukesh Parmar, CEO, Docplexus explains that evidence-based credible information is power. With this power towards better clinical decision making along with peer guidance, these doctors in rural areas are able to address and handle at the primary touch-point, a plethora of chronic and non-communicable ailments

A 63 year old farmer in Moradabad woke up with severe chest pain and shortness of breath at 4 am. His son rushed him to the clinic of Dr H. Ali, a general physician, whose home was attached to the clinic. After a quick clinical examination and an ECG, Dr. Ali checked his phone to read up something and was able to diagnose that the farmer had an acute myocardial infarction (MI, heart attack) but with appropriate injections and medicines in the clinic itself, he managed to stabilise the farmer. The next day, Dr. Ali advised him to visit a cardiologist in the nearby city, for further investigations and management. Well, the farmer had survived the crisis! Later Dr Ali wrote to Docplexus to thank their team and his peers on the platform for the bevy of posts on “how to read an ECG” and guidelines around acute MI management, which he had quickly reviewed on his phone that night.

This is one of the gazillion examples of how digital ecosystem in India is rapidly bridging the rural-urban divide of healthcare. With 70 per cent of the country’s population residing in the hinterland, the already staggering shortage of over 6,00,000 doctors across the nation is only further exacerbated by the urban to rural doctor density of 3.8: 1.

While the Ministry’s announcement of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) in September 2021 is a welcome step towards digital health records and more, the alleged “bottom of the pyramid” requires a much more holistic approach. Thankfully, over 80 per cent Indians today have an access to telecommunications, while Internet has reached over 55 per cent of the population. These are strong indicators of digital potential paving the way forward for improved access to healthcare for all.

Currently, the country has over 40 teleconsultation portals as well as many e-pharmacies and e-commerce portals delivering relevant medical products to over 70 per cent of the pin codes across all the states. This is further supported with the initiative of 1,50,000 primary care centres under Universal Health Care, upcoming AI-based kiosks by various enterprising entities, point-of-care devices for basic vitals stationed even at post offices, panchayats, with Anganwadi and ASHA workers, along with remote consultants or telemedicine services available round-the-clock.

At the heart of it all, beams the fact that doctors from these distant set ups are able to interact 24×7 with experts and colleagues from metros through online communities using their phones or devices, without the need for expensive, inconvenient or arduous travel in person. They are able to update themselves with relevant and latest medical courses, therapy guidelines, global health news, relevant specialty posts, surgical videos and engaging resources like webinars and peer-to-peer clinical case discussions to interact and learn more, from anywhere and at anytime in a secured environment amidst other doctors as their fraternity.

Evidence-based credible information is power. With this power towards better clinical decision making along with peer guidance, these doctors in rural areas are able to address and handle at the primary touch-point, a plethora of chronic and non-communicable ailments like anemia, hypertension, diabetes, hypothyroidism and inflammatory bowel diseases as well as acute infections like malaria, dengue and so on – not to forget emergencies including snake bites and more.

It has been estimated that medical knowledge doubles every 73 days now. It might further reduce, since this duration used to be 3.5 years in 2010! With this ever-evolving science, having a safe space to discuss real-world patient cases or asking for guidance even on practice management topics like medico-legal, financial planning etc. has become easier for doctors practicing in any corner of the nation and has certainly saved them time, effort, money and precious lives of the ones they treat. India, with digitisation of healthcare ecosystem, is steadily but consistently moving towards a better and equitable healthcare for everyone.

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