Bengaluru: With viral vengeance wreaking unimaginable havoc, India has taken recourse to technology. 

As per a statement by the ministry of health, family welfare, more than 50 lakh patients have made use of eSanjeevani, the flagship National Telemedicine Service. 

It was last year that the programme was rolled out as the OPDs were shut down. 

It is presently operational in 31 States/Union Territories in the country and daily around 40,000 patients across the country are using this contactless and risk-free modality of healthcare services delivery.


It is heartening to note that many have welcome this concept with both hands. It has been performing as a parallel stream of country’s healthcare delivery system that is already over-burdened. 

The service is set up by the ministry of health and family welfare. Swarajya notes that it comprises two variants. The first is doctor to doctor (eSanjeevani AB-HWC) telemedicine platform that is based on hub and spoke models. The second one is a patient to doctor telemedicine platform (eSanjeevani OPD) which provides outpatient services to the citizens in the confines of their homes.

The ministry said the eSanjeevani AB-HWC is being implemented at health and wellness centres under Ayushman Bharat Scheme, and by December 2022 it will be made operational at 1,55,000 health and wellness Centres across India.

Quick and widespread adoption of eSanjeevani reflects that a significant proportion of outpatient visits can be clinically managed remotely. Patients with no urgent medical conditions are using eSanjeevani without having to expose themselves to the risk of being infected and without compromising quality of care.

It is in this way that the government has made use of technology to address the issue and hence maintain social distancing at all costs.