E-Sanjeevani empowers healthcare access for the underprivileged: Khattar

CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday said that the e-Sanjeevani service, which was launched with the objective of delivering high-quality healthcare services to the people living in remote areas, has proven to be highly effective.

He said the state government has significantly expanded and enhanced teleconsultation services to ensure access to healthcare for all residents.

In Haryana, e-Sanjeevani services have been accessible 24 hours a day since August 16, 2021.

During the last fiscal year of 2022-23, a total of 1.02 lakh consultations were provided through e-Sanjeevani OPD, he said, while adding e-Sanjeevani serves as a ''testament to the advent of digital health in India''.

The chief minister was speaking with the beneficiaries of e-Sanjeevani health services through an audio conference during 'CM Ki Vishesh Charcha' programme on Monday, an official statement said. Khattar said venturing outside during the COVID-19 pandemic was fraught with risk, necessitating the imposition of lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus.

During this period, people hesitated to seek medical care in hospitals, prioritizing their safety from Covid, he said. Even if they did visit hospitals, the overwhelming patient load made it exceedingly challenging to secure an appointment with a healthcare professional.

It was during these trying times that the e-Sanjeevani service demonstrated its remarkable effectiveness in facilitating medical consultations and treatment from the safety and comfort of one's home, he said.

Haryana launched this service on May 1, 2020. Khattar highlighted that ''we have significantly expanded and enhanced teleconsultation services to ensure access to healthcare for all residents''.

''This effort included the establishment of 22 teleconsultation hubs, one in each district civil hospital in the state. Taking it a step further, a specialist hub and a super specialist hub have been started in collaboration with PGIMER, Chandigarh. These initiatives have facilitated direct communication between all primary health centres and sub-health centres with specialist and super specialist doctors. ''This tele-consultation network now covers all districts in the state,'' he said.

He said the teleconsultation service not only drastically reduces the cost of patient treatment but also eliminates the need for physical travel. ''It has also resulted in an enhancement of the quality of medical services''. ''Another significant advantage is that individuals can receive consultations from doctors at government medical institutions located in any corner of the state, all from the comfort of their homes,'' he further said.

Khattar also underlined that e-Sanjeevani services have made a substantial contribution to the realization of their goal to provide high-quality healthcare services to the most vulnerable segments of the population.