About 75 percent IndiaThe population lives in villages while most doctors and medical professionals practice in urban areas. Access to quality healthcare and consultation with certified doctors is a major challenge for people living in rural areas, making it difficult for them to get proper healthcare advice and counseling. Primary healthcare provides a point of entry into the healthcare system and can help in the early detection of serious illnesses with a strong emphasis on preventive interventions.
Given the disproportionate rural-urban divide in healthcare, India’s digital infrastructure could be a game-changer enabling rural access to quality healthcare. The epidemic showed us how mobile internet can be used to have a positive impact on healthcare solutions, especially for rural India, and helps bridge the gap in access to primary health care. According to a study by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)Since the onset of the epidemic, there has been an increase in the number of people using telemedicine services in all age groups, with the highest in the 25-34 age group and the 45-54 age group. Hospitals, healthcare service providers and doctors are looking for new ways to meet their patients on digital media that are easy to use, thus integrating healthcare as a whole. This growing trend of adoption of smartphones in India has the potential to take healthcare to the farthest parts of the country.
According to WHOAccess to medical knowledge through the use of simple technologies such as chatbots on WhatsApp has proved particularly effective in low- and middle-income countries, where health services are often too fragmented or too large to meet the needs of the entire community. WhatsApp is built on chatbots WhatsApp business platform – An API-based platform on which businesses or NGOs can configure custom solutions accessible to any WhatsApp user across the country. Through the use of the WhatsApp business platform, public and private sector organizations have been able to provide assistance to healthcare providers to connect with their patients in both rural and urban locations, making healthcare accessible. We’re partnering with reputable medical service providers to see if solutions built on the WhatsApp business platform can help doctors diagnose and diagnose serious illnesses, which can further expand the reach and bandwidth of our medical infrastructure.
One of the most influential cases of health use built on the WhatsApp business platform is the MyGov helpdesk that was launched at the beginning of the epidemic. The chatbot, which has now expanded to include many other use-cases, was first launched as Corona’s helpdesk chatbot that allowed people to access information about the Covid-19. The epidemic has persisted for the past two years, with additional use-cases being created including vaccine bookings and vaccine certificate downloads. Central government boats have been accessed by 80 million Indians, and several other state governments across the country, including Maharashtra, Odisha, Haryana, Punjab and West Bengal, have since built covid-relief chatboats.
For hospitals and clinics, in addition to tele-health and information access, chatbots on WhatsApp help increase efficiency by automating administrative tasks that would otherwise require human intervention. Functions such as appointment bookings, reminders, information about doctors / specialists can be accessed through chatbots, allowing staff to focus on more complex areas. This General Service Center Health Services Chatbot by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Which provides free teleconsultation to patients seeking primary health care assistance. In less than 5 months, more than 25,000 people from remote parts of the country have used the service to connect with doctors. Health tech start-ups such as Paperplane Doctors are helping practitioners set up digital receptions on their online clinics and WhatsApp to improve patient relationships.
Mental health is another important area of healthcare where tech-based solutions can help make an impact. Extended indoor isolation and other restrictions disrupted social life. Globally, 25% increase in cases Anxiety and depression were reported during the epidemic. In India, WhatsApp helplines have provided a safe and private space for people, especially those outside the metro, to access mental health resources.
The partnership between healthcare providers and technology has the opportunity to reach critical services in the country. Covid has shown that we need to do more, but the good news is that some of the best organizations and healthcare entrepreneurs are willing to adopt technology to scale. We are keeping our ambitions high and I am excited about the experiments and pilots starting in 2022-23. And if we can find out how to bring active and personal healthcare to every part of India and to every class of people, it can be a model for the world.
By Abhijit Bose, Head of WhatsApp India
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are those of the author only and ETHealthworld is not required to subscribe to them. ETHealthworld.com will not be liable for any direct / indirect damages to any person / organization)
