Though the State is getting ready to come out of lockdown, tele-consultation in hospitals is likely to continue for a while as people are yet not confident about visiting hospitals for minor ailments.
Some private hospitals have evolved their own platforms while a few doctors have started using other platforms for consultation. The Indian Medical Association, which is against tele-consultations because of the possible unhealthy fallouts in patient-care and the likelihood of more medico-legal issues, has made it clear that tele-consultation should either happen on a platform of a professional body or on one approved by the State government. Abraham Varghese, president of IMA Kerala, said the IMA would not support doctors who use private platforms for tele-consultation.
Service for free
Some hospitals have provided a platform for telemedicine with facilities on the doctor’s desktop or at the telemedicine consulting room. Such consultations are still on though the hospital had opened for general consultation, says Sanjeev Singh, the medical superintendent of a leading private hospital here. “We are not charging for tele-consultation.”
Some others evolved a new procedure. Those who want to consult the doctors are given a time slot after a digital payment at a major hospital here. The video call helped doctors get a closer look at the patient’s symptoms, said Sunny Orathel, its medical superintendent. Now there were 30-40 calls a day, he said.
According to a public health expert, many hospitals shied away from providing tele-consultation platforms because it was difficult to charge patients when consultation was only over telephone. With very few patients coming in, private hospitals are struggling to pay even employees’ salaries, said a hospital management official.
The only department that continues to function is the gynaecology, said the director of a hospital. There are also certain emergency cases of the elderly. Out of the four floors, two floors of the hospital are still closed, he added.
Not a substitute
Unless the doctors get to see the patient, consultation is just a general guideline not a professional advice, Sachidananda Kamath, former national president, Indian Association of Paediatrics. Clinical examination is the essence of good diagnosis and it cannot replace digital consultation, said Dr. Kamath.
According to gastroenterologist Mathew Philip, telemedicine is most useful for review of patients already undergoing treatment at a hospital, since their records can be checked and advice given. However, it would be difficult to guide patients who have developed new symptoms, he said.
