Doctors on Call

Can the explosive growth in telemedicine continue after the pandemic blows over?

- VARSHA MEGHANI

A Mahalakshmi often felt dizzy and fatigued. Then one day, about two years ago, her knees buckled and she collapsed in the bathroom. She visited several doctors in government hospitals but the problem persisted. “My main concern was always my kids. Especially my daughter… she is very young,” says Mahalakshmi, 35.

She happened to hear about “good treatment” available at an urban primary health centre in Vijayawada, her hometown in Andhra Pradesh, and popped in for a visit. When the medical officer checked her blood pressure, he couldn’t record any pulse beats in her left arms. He booked a teleconsultation with one of Apollo Hospitals’ cardiologists, who concluded over a computer screen that it was a vascular problem. He directed Mahalakshmi to a nearby cardiologist who confirmed a blockage in the artery in her left hand. Immediately, stenting was carried out at the Guntur Government Hospital. “The pain has reduced and I am now able to do my work… My fear about my kids has gone. What else can I wish for?” smiles Mahalakshmi.

In 2016, the government of Andhra Pradesh teamed up with Apollo Hospitals to convert their urban primary health centres into telemedicine centres. Today 183 such centres in the state’s nine districts provide basic services as well as previously unattainable specialist care to poor patients like Mahalakshmi. Each centre sees more than 60 patients a day, up from seven to 10 before Apollo’s involvement.