State installs telemedicine facilities in more than 5K health & wellness centres

State Health department has installed telemedicine facilities in around 5,235 health and wellness centres under National Health Mission for the initial management of the patients in the far off districts. The department is in the process of setting up more telemedicine units in the health and wellness centres so that patients can be treated, reducing the number of admission to the district hospitals.

More than 15,000 health and wellness centres (HWC) are coming up across the state where telemedicine services will be made available in phased manner so that the initial management of various patients can be done through this platform without having to shift the patients to the city hospitals.

The department has laid stress on an integrated health management system which will ease the health care delivery mechanism both in the government and private sectors. “Tele-medicine facilities are coming up in a big way in the health wellness centres which will do the initial management of patients. Doctors have often suggested to us that if the initial management can be done through telemedicine many stroke patients and others do not require an admission in the city hospitals,” a senior health official said.

The health department has sanctioned funds of Rs 82,72,000 which will be diverted to 22 districts for setting up Ayush telemedicine services. An order has been issued by the health department to all the districts attaching the standard operating procedure (SoP) and also guidelines as to how to move forward with the project.

The main objective behind the infrastructural revamp is to provide affordable, accessible, inclusive, sustainable and high quality healthcare service delivery up to the grass root level. State health department has taken up an elaborate programme to upgrade the existing infrastructure in the health wellness centres. Setting up of HWC and the upgradation of existing ones has been given utmost importance so that the people in the rural areas can avail varied range of treatment without visiting the district hospitals. The funds will be distributed according to the sanctioned allotment for various districts.