With the rise in COVID cases in UP, Hospitals see rise in the teleconsultation services
With increasing coronavirus cases and people’s subsequent hesitation to step out of home, Regency Superspecialty Hospital, Lucknow has witnessed a surge in the teleconsultation OPD services in the last one month. The hospital administration has revealed that 60 per cent of the online and teleconsultations pertaining to health conditions like chronic kidney diseases and liver-related problems have increased as many districts in Uttar Pradesh are going through a partial lockdown to curb the spread of the life-threatening virus.
Under a month of its launch, the teleconsultation service launched by Regency Superspecialty Hospital, saw an increase in adoption, owing to people’s awareness towards the importance of regular health check-ups and limited availability of doctors for an in-person consultation. Teleconsultation has seen massive growth due to the pressing demand for digital access to doctors and medical services during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for chronic kidney disease patients, for whom delays in treatment can have severe life-threatening consequences.
“It is highly appreciable that people are staying indoors and turning to teleconsultation for their healthcare needs. In such unprecedented times, when our mobility is restricted, teleconsultation services have come as a saving grace. We at Regency Superspecialty Hospital want to ensure that all the patients are provided appropriate medical advice through teleconsultation sessions. We believe through the launch of this service most of our patients will not have any break in their medical treatment as all our senior consultants are available through this technology interface. Social distancing processes have created their own challenges in healthcare services and we are creating solutions to meet our patient expectations. All our services at the hospitals are continuing and our emergency department is open 24/7 to extend medical attention,” said Dr Deepak Dewan, MD, DM-Nephrology, Director Renal Sciences, Regency Superspecialty Hospital.
Patients have been going through their routine follow up consultations through this technology so that they can have continued access to their care. Through the launch of the teleconsultation services, Regency Superspecialty Hospital has created a new model of hospital-based patient care coupled with care wherever applicable.
“At this time the anxiety levels, particularly among patients with chronic diseases, is high and having access to their doctors gives these patients’ extreme comfort and confidence. Managing chronic diseases during the coronavirus pandemic has been difficult and requires close coordination between multiple medical services, scheduling appointments, and coming up with solutions to innumerable problems that crop up along the way. With the rise of COVID-19 cases in India and the subsequent lockdown enforcement for the safety of the larger public, there were a number of patients who found it difficult to get the medical help they required. But teleconsultation helped them to maintain continuity of care through local centers,” added Dr Pradeep Joshi, MS M.Ch.(GI Surgery), Senior Consultant, Regency Superspecialty Hospital.