Locals turn to tele-consultation apps amid COVID-19 fears

From applications to website browsers, these services have taken a priority for those unwilling to step out of the comfort of their homes amid the shutdown for fear of their health.Earlier, DT Next had reported on the eSanjeevani OPD service, the National Teleconsultation service from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which had more than 5,000 users across the State. In a similar vein, online applications like Practo and local private hospitals like Apollo Hospitals and Rainbow Children’s Hospital have also launched their tele-consultation services.

Digital healthcare company Practo launched its application-led consultation service recently. Through the application, users can have video check-ups with doctors and receive prescriptions, as well as order medicines from the nearest facility and book lab tests.

“Consulting qualified doctors at the very first sign of a medical symptom can prevent healthcare problems from aggravating. Technology has helped us find a perfect solution in video consultations as it provides 24x7 easy access to verified doctors in less than a minute,” said Siddhartha Nihalani, VP - Products, Practo.

For those who are not as tech-forward, many hospitals have launched services through which appointments can be made for them, such as Rainbow Children’s Hospital. A separate team has been formed to handle video consultations, which are held either through MS Teams, their app of the same name, or a web-browser.

According to Rajmohan R, General Manager, Operations, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, nearly 40,000 patients have availed this service thus far. “For patients, it has been beneficial as they can now do it from the safety of their homes, especially with all the fear and myths being spread about the risks of the disease, and the various avenues of infection. A major advantage has been the timeliness of the appointments, the almost complete elimination of the waiting time has proven beneficial, especially to working parents,” he said. These applications are also beneficial to doctors, said Rajmohan. “The doctors do opt for this mode for follow-ups, basic consultation for a second opinion or a prescription refill. The doctors prefer this because they too get the opportunity to stay safe by reducing the number of patients they meet physically, yet not compromise on the care they provide to their patients,” he said.