Swasthya Ingit: 6 cr brought under specialist telemedicine services

Kolkata: Bengal government has achieved another milestone as it has brought six crore people under specialist telemedicine service through ‘Swasthya Ingit’ initiative.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced it on her social media handle on Tuesday.

Banerjee in a post on X stated: “Proud to share that ‘SwasthyaIngit’, a unique telemedicine initiative of our Health Department, GoWB has achieved yet another milestone by providing 6 crore tele consultations since its start in August 2021. Today, this service is available at more than 10,000 SuSwasthya Kendra making health care accessible in the remote areas of the state.”

Banerjee also stated: “Even the specialised services of neurology, nephrology, cardiology, oncology, paediatrics are available in the remote areas due to this initiative.

On this milestone day, I congratulate team doctors, nurses, paramedical staff along with all those associated with this unique initiative for making it possible.”

The Mamata Banerjee government had launched ‘Swasthya Ingit’, a telemedicine initiative through IT-based Audio-Visual Tele-consultation services to serve the people in rural areas. Patients in districts have now been availing specialised treatment in various disciplines.

The state government, under the leadership of the Chief Minister, had initiated the project to upgrade many sub-health centres in the state to health and wellness centres.

Patients from remote parts of Bengal have already availed of these facilities from the district Suswasthya Kendras. This has taken off the pressure on government hospitals to a great extent.

The state Health department has also started training doctors in the rural health centres at the block level and also in subdivisions on how to provide health services online.The introduction of tele-medicine through ‘Swasthya Ingit portal’ had emerged to be extremely handy for the government to meet challenges posed by the Covid endemic.