Long known as an IT capital, India’s health infrastructure for years lagged behind the Tiger-like force of its software industry. No more: In the past decade, thanks to growing support from government, private sector innovation, and a great leap forward in infrastructure development, so-called Information Communication Technology (ICT) is transforming the way people receive health care.

The “next generation” telemedicine model is proliferating rapidly in India, where 70% of people live in rural areas where health infrastructure is still insufficient. Telemedicine uses ICT to “provid[e] accessible, cost-effective, high-quality health care services,” in the words of a recent WHO Global Observatory for eHealth report. Telemedicine models, in which rural patients are connected to trained physicians over telephone or Internet, can become the first point of access for a variety of illnesses and diseases such as eye related issues, intestinal problems, infections and heart disease. Most importantly, patients get into the health system early and do not delay care seeking for fear of transportation and costs......Read More

Source: Globalhealthhub