The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with NITI Aayog on Wednesday released the official guidelines for telemedicine practices in the country. These are aimed at allowing registered medical practitioners to providing remote consultation in supersession of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

The guidelines are meant to provide a proper framework to deliver healthcare services remotely through phone or online healthcare services, especially in cases where distance is a critical factor like the current Covid-19 pandemic. Medical practitioners and healthcare workers are currently at more of a risk to contract the virus as citizens go on a nationwide 21-day lockdown.

“Telemedicine practice can prevent the transmission of infectious diseases reducing the risks to both health care workers and patients. Unnecessary and avoidable exposure of the people involved in the delivery of healthcare can be avoided using telemedicine and patients can be screened remotely. It can provide rapid access to medical practitioners who may not be immediately available in person,” the guidelines said.

“In addition, it makes available extra working hands to provide physical care at the respective health institutions. Thus, health systems that are invested in telemedicine are well-positioned to ensure that patients with Covid-19 kind of issues receive the care they need,” it further said.

They are meant for healthcare workers to realise and achieve the “full potential” of technology in providing healthcare services.

The guidelines highlight important aspects of telemedicine practices, from defining what telemedicine consists of a detailed structure framework for enabling the same. It focuses on the necessary processes for identifying the individuals involved, their data privacy and confidentiality along with documentation of the consultation.

The decision has been lauded by existing digital healthcare platforms who believed that such a framework was the need of the hour especially when the country is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic.

“This is a monumental step forward for Digital Health in India and has the power to make India's healthcare make a big leap forward. Access to quality healthcare has just been made simpler and reachable to masses. Clarity in regulations around telemedicine & digital healthcare was the need of the hour, especially, in the light of Covid-19. The guidelines call out the specifics clearly, leaving little room for speculation,” said Shashank ND, Co-Founder & CEO, Practo.

However, according to the guidelines, doctors practising telemedicine will need to complete a mandatory online course that is currently being developed and made available by the Board of Governors in supersession of MCI.

According to the guidelines, “All registered medical practitioners intending to provide online consultation need to complete a mandatory online course within three years of its notification. In the interim period, the principles mentioned in these guidelines need to be followed. Thereafter, undergoing and qualifying such a course, as prescribed, will be essential prior to practice of telemedicine.”

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