Govt plans to integrate telemedicine servies under single window

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Central government plans to integrate its telemedicine services to provide more options under a single window. The plan involves integrating the e-Sanjeevani telemedicine platform with the Unified Health Interface (UHI), one of the components of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), according to a letter written by the National Health Authority, the agency responsible for implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

Mint has reviewed the letter to the Union health ministry. The UHI enables interoperability in health services, allowing patients to discover, book, conduct, and pay for services offered by a healthcare provider on any application of their choice. Also Read | Telemedicine and teleconsultation for pets: What you need to keep in mind Patients can identify and book appointments with telemedicine doctors, get consultations free of cost, do not have to take the hard copy of the prescription anywhere and store all their health records on one platform.

The platform helps patients to avoid visits to physical OPDs at hospitals. Till 31 January, e-Sanjeevani has created 3.4 million Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) health IDs and linked 4.5 million records across all states and Union territories, said the letter. "The proposed e-Sanjeevani-UHI integration will enable citizens to discover doctors for tele-consultations and schedule appointments instantly through any UHI-enabled End User Application (EUA).