Telemedicine – Are We There Yet?

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and delivering innovative medicines for patients with serious diseases.

- Srivatsan Krishnan

Leveraging of technology in the healthcare space isn’t a new phenomenon, is it?

Telemedicine, not a new concept, continues to evolve. New developments in technology as well as improvements in Internet access and telecommunications have made telemedicine incredibly relevant today.

Let us briefly examine some fundamental reasons as to why it is imperative for societies to maximize the benefits of telemedicine. The list below is not meant to be all-inclusive.

Shortage of physicians – In general, in most parts of the world, there aren’t nearly enough physicians to provide the right level of medical services to populations. More specifically, primary care physicians are in short supply in most regions around the world. A country like India has less than 1 doctor per 1000 people. This usually means that the available pool of doctors, especially specialists, is unable to provide the requisite coverage. Not to forget the fact about uneven distribution of specialists in various regions; some may have a shortage while others may even have a surplus.

Demographics and geography - As people live longer; access to adequate and timely healthcare can be an issue for populations living in rural or even secondary/tertiary cities. In many cases, for various reasons, this segment of the population may be limited in their ability to travel to the nearest medical care facility.