News Analysis India

Tag: teleconsultation

  • Mandaviya asks states/UTs to focus more on teleconsultation

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Highlighting the role that teleconsultation has played to serve the people in far-off places as well as Covid patients in home isolation, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday asked the states and the union territories to focus more on such services for better public health management.

    He also said more than the projected requirements of Covid vaccine doses were provided to the states and the UTs to ensure that there is no let-up in the pace of the inoculation drive.

    Stressing the role that teleconsultation and telemedicine have played in the country to serve the far-flung regions and those in home isolation, Mandaviya advised the states to focus on ramping up opening of more teleconsultation centres as part of the ‘Hub and Spoke Model’ for better public health management, a statement issued by the Health Ministry said.

    “The teleconsultation centres will help us not only during the COVID pandemic but also for non-COVID medical care,” he said.

    The minister was speaking after holding a meeting with the states on virtual format.

    Kerala informed the meeting that non-Covid medical care for cancer, diabetes management, mental health etc were also provided through telemedicine centres to those in home isolation who could not access the institutional facilities, the statement said.

    Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, which have shown good progress in eSanjeevani with very large number of tele-consultations, were appreciated for their efforts, it said.

    Mandaviya underlined the importance of sturdy and resilient health infrastructure and the ECRP-II package under which the funds have been provided to states and UTs and said they need to be utilised before March 31.

    “While some states have expedited effective utilisation of the approved funds for health infra creation, other states may also review the physical and financial progress under ECRP-II and expedite the progress,” he said.

    Mandaviya reiterated that the five-fold strategy of ‘Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate & Adherence to COVID Appropriate Behaviour’ along with effective surveillance of cases remains crucial for COVID-19 management.

    The states and UTs were advised to keep a close watch on the emerging clusters and hotspots.

    Those states which have reported lower share of RTPCR in Covid testing were advised to review the same, the statement said.

    They were also advised that adequate and timely testing will help in prompt identification of the infected cases and prevention of a sudden surge, it said.

    Assuring states of all support from the Centre in their efforts for Covid response and management, the Union health minister urged them to provide data on time as it will lead to more sturdy and efficient policymaking.

    Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar encouraged the states to fully utilise the ECRP-II funds.

    She urged the states and the UTs to strengthen laboratories, place timely purchase orders of medicines in case of shortages, expedite commissioning of PSA plants and open more teleconsultation centres.

    She highlighted that teleconsultation will help in treating patients in the future and emphasised on the need to give special attention to co-morbid patients, the statement said.

    PTI UZM AQS AQS 01281938 NNNN

  • COVID fight: Centre allows employees with recognised qualification to undertake medical practice, teleconsultation

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Citing the unprecedented rise in COVID cases in the country, the Centre on Wednesday allowed its employees with recognised qualifications to undertake medical practice or teleconsultation.

    Such practice is to be undertaken during spare time and on a purely charitable basis, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.

    Referring to a 57-year-old order of the Home Ministry, it said the DoPT has been receiving queries/requests from central government servants for providing teleconsultation services during the current pandemic.

    “In view of the unprecedented rise in the numbers of COVID-19 cases, and to utilise the in-house capabilities available in the government to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus and to provide relief to the public, it has been decided that the central government employees holding recognised qualifications in any system of medicine requires no permission from the Head of Departments (HoDs) concerned to undertake practice/provide teleconsultation,” it said.

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    This would be subject to the condition that such practice/teleconsultation is undertaken during spare time, on a purely charitable basis, without detriment to the official duties to the government servant concerned, said the order issued to all the central government department, the order said.

    “However, it is desirable that the government servants should keep their departments concerned informed for record purposes only,” it said, adding that this guideline will come into force with immediate effect.

    The DoPT referred to the Home Ministry order of February 29, 1964 that stipulates that the HOD may grant permission to central government servants holding recognised qualifications in any system of medicine to undertake practice.

  • 40 doctors from Bihar chapter of IMA volunteer to provide teleconsultation during COVID crisis

    Express News Service
    PATNA: In a humanitarian initiative, 40 reputed doctors from the Bihar chapter of the Indian Medical Association have volunteered to offer their services by providing free medical consultation to those in dire need as COVID-19 cases rage on in the state. 

    All 40 of them are from Patna and other districts of Bihar. They have vowed to make themselves available over the phone for teleconsultation for the public and counsel them over COVID-19 and other health issues. 

    According to an official statement issued jointly by Dr Ajay Kumar, the senior vice-president, and Dr Sunil Kumar, the general secretary, the doctors will make themselves available in two shifts from 10 am to 12 pm and 4 pm to 6 pm. 

    Here is the list of the doctors and their phone numbers from the respective districts of Bihar: 

    Patna Dr Sahajanand Pd Singh 9334118698, Dr Ajay Kumar 9431020816 Dr Sunil Kumar 9334116619 Dr Vijay Shanker Singh 9431878208Dr Vimal Karak 9835461111Dr Sachidanand Kumar 9431020230Dr Basant Singh 9334342459Dr Rajiv Ranjan 8969991476

    DarbhangaDr Raman Kumar Verma 8521020901

    MuzaffarpurDr Kamlesh Tiwary 9431239517

    The general secretary Dr. Sunil Kumar said that another list of doctors who have volunteered will be released soon.

    The doctors, who have joined this initiative, are from Patna, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Motihari, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Jamui, Gaya and Ara.