At a time when most private practitioners of medicine (doctors), including those in rural areas, have discontinued their practice with the fear of contracting the highly infectious coronavirus, the initiative of telemedicine is proving to be helpful to those in need of professional intervention, including those in containment zones.
While some districts have started the service by roping in doctors located elsewhere, the Mahabubnagar district administration has made notable amends by drawing the service of doctors available within the district. They include specialists in the private sector.
Taking telemedicine a step further, the service launched in Mahabubnagar district on April 12 involves free movement of persons in need of hospitalisation as also delivery of medicines, if asked for in case they are not in a position to buy the prescribed drugs on their own.
Dual purpose
“We have launched the service with the dual purpose of serving people in rural areas who are denied medical advice during the lockdown and also meeting the medical needs of people in the COVID-19 containment zone,” District Collector S. Venkata Rao told The Hindu .
Explaining that medical and health professionals tied up with the novel service, the district officials said a total of 26 doctors working in public health centres and 47 specialists having their own private practice or working in private hospitals in Mahabubnagar were linked with the service and a call centre (08542-226670) was established for the purpose. Besides, 210 Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANMs) were linked to the service to screen the call requiring a doctor’s advice.
On getting a call from a person in need of health advice, the data entry operator would connect the call to an ANM after collecting the details of the person on the call and the ANM would forward the call to a doctor, if need be, for proper medical advice. After the doctor prescribes the drugs, the call would be linked to one of the pharmacies enlisted if the patient wants delivery of medicines.
The call centre works 24×7 with personnel manning it on three shifts.
A total of six ambulances — two provided by the medical and health department and four by the Indian Medical Association — are specially tied up with the telemedicine service and are stationed in the Collectorate to attend to calls.
254 calls in 10 days
“In the first 10 days, a total of 254 calls, including 60 from the containment zone, were received and medicines were delivered in eight cases. Also, 41 persons were shifted to hospital – 35 to government and 6 to private hospitals for referral services,” the District Collector explained.