The public health emergency imposed by COVID-19 has posed unprecedented challenges and, at the same time, offered unique, innovative solutions for long-standing problems plaguing healthcare delivery in India. These innovations should not be limited to the period of emergency alone but should be extended beyond that. We list several such extraordinary initiatives that can transcend and extend beyond the COVID-19 crisis.
On March 25, the nominated board of governors presently steering the Medical Council of India issued Telemedicine Practice Guidelines. This in itself is an extraordinary step since, for years, the use of tele-consultation for managing patient care faced a series of hurdles. There was ambiguity due to the lack of clear guidelines, further impeded by the 2018 judgment of the High Court of Bombay negating the legitimacy of prescriptions through telemedicine. In India, till now, there was no legislation or guidelines on the practice of telemedicine through video, phone, or Internet-based platforms (web/chat/apps, etc).
The guidelines issued permits a registered medical practitioner (RMP) to provide telemedicine consultation to patients from any part of India. It stipulates that the RMPs should adhere to existing professional and ethical norms and standards. The Ministry of Health has also stated that an online training programme will be made available to RMPs. It is time India followed up these ephemeral measures with legislative measures to permit the practice of telemedicine, thereby reaching care to millions of Indians.
Denne historien er fra April 22, 2020-utgaven av The Hindu Business Line.
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Denne historien er fra April 22, 2020-utgaven av The Hindu Business Line.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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