India stands number two in highly populated countries with largest
democracy in the world consisting of about 64.61% of the rural population.
Though, the country is lacking in providing access and revolutionizing the
rural world with technological advances healthcare services in the rural India are
below bars. There is a growing understanding that India has to have a strong,
comprehensive primary healthcare system in order to improve the population's
health status and reduce these imbalances. Despite this fact a glimmer of hope
can be observed due to technological digitalization. In 2020, healthcare
digitalization smoothly came into action in India. The legalization of
telemedicine and teleconsultation by the Indian government and the publication
of Telemedicine Practice Guidelines have both contributed to this expansion.
COVID-19 has Brought Demand for Telemedicine
During COVID telemedicine gained a lot of traction all over the
country. People confined indoors and skeptical for visiting hospitals was one
of the major factor for opting remote consultation. The technology reduced the
health care system gap between rural and urban areas. Rural hospital has altered
patient care with the use of telemedicine. It is predicted that between 15 and
20 percent of healthcare in India will move online in the forecast period and
will cover factors such as consultations, home health care, and remote patient
monitoring.
Rise in Telemedicine Users
Growing awareness in remote health and increase interest in
transforming India’s healthcare sector is inclining the users to opt
telemedicine services. Government is also supporting the market expansion. For
instance, Indian government launched eSanjeevani, a telemedicine service, on
August 9, 2020, as a part of its "Digital India" strategy. Around 90
to 100 doctors are typically available on this platform at any given moment and
approx. 4,727 doctors are boarded on the platform, including specialists.
Additionally, the platform provides services to 500–750 people on average per
day throughout the state, with 286,670 consultations are completed to date. About
five crore Indians chose remote consultation practice during the lockdown
period. Furthermore, many healthcare IT firms are recognizing that rural India
in the near future will be highly benefit with this practice.
Features Offered by Telemedicine
Remote patient monitoring is a ground-breaking method that enables
patients to consult physicians and other healthcare professionals from their
homes. The two interact virtually, which saves a good amount of time and money
compared to paying for in-person meetings. Using wearable technology that
transmits readings via telemedicine software, doctors and medical professionals
can monitor important statistics like heart rate, blood pressure, and other
parameters via remote patient monitoring. Based on the reading, they can
deliver a consultation that is useful for patient’s well-being. Many hospitals
and private physicians have invested in telemedicine technologies and have seen
their revenues increase steadily.
Market Forecast for Telemedicine
According to Growth+ Reports (https://growthplusreports.com/report/telemedicine-market/7717)
the global telemedicine market was pegged at US$ 68.3 billion in 2021 and is
expected to witness a CAGR of 18.9% during the forecast period from 2022 to
2030. This growth can be attributed to the increasing chronic diseases
prevalence, adoption of advanced technology due to COVID-19, favorable and
supportive government policies/initiatives, and many more factors. Also,
advancement in medical and telecommunication technologies and development in
healthcare network services are some of the other factors propelling the market
growth.