The Government's National Telemedicine Service, eSanjeevani, launched in November 2019 as a doctor-to-doctor consultation facility, has achieved significant success, surpassing 13 crore teleconsultations to date. Among the 10 states leading in utilization are Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Karnataka.
This digital healthcare initiative has also benefited approximately 5 crore women and 1 crore senior citizens, providing them with convenient access to medical services. Operating in two modes, eSanjeevaniAB-HWC and eSanjeevaniOPD, the Centre's initiative has gained immense popularity for delivering healthcare services through digital platforms. As of July 19, 2023, a total of 13,91,61,458 teleconsultations have been completed, with 1,10,12,570 rendered to senior citizens and 5,22,15,224 to women, according to government data presented to Parliament. The leading states in adopting eSanjeevani include Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, and Gujarat.
The Union Health Ministry aims to support the effective implementation of digital health initiatives, including telemedicine services, across the country.
It provides financial assistance to all States/UTs under the National Health Mission for strengthening health IT infrastructure and internet connectivity. To ensure safe and secure implementation of telemedicine services, the Union Health Ministry issued Telemedicine Practice guidelines on March 25, 2020. Remarkably, in less than 3 years, eSanjeevani has become the world's largest government-owned telemedicine platform. It consists of two verticals that cater to patients across all states and UTs, reaching even the remotest regions of the nation.
As of July 14, 2023, a total of 2,08,569 spokes (including Health and Wellness Centres and Primary Health Centres) have been connected to telemedicine services in the country. Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Mohali, is providing comprehensive technical training and support to users, augmenting the platform's capacity to serve up to 1 million patients per day.