Online Medical Consultation During Covid-19 in India

Online medical consultation is a new normal in the pandemic scenario. With the emphasis on social distancing and contactless modes of communication and transaction, India witnessed a sudden increase in doctor consultation online, considering safety and convenience. Due to people being stuck at home in the earlier stages of the lockdowns, online consultation became a need.
 

Though people resorted to the online consultation, it has effectively served the requirements of safe treatment and best treatment results. And, the majority of the consultation was for queries related to the Covid-19 and the spread of coronavirus.
 

So, let us get ahead and discuss how online medical consultation turned out to be productive during the Covid-19 pandemic in India.
 

What is Online Medical Consultation?

Online medical consultation refers to having a virtual consultation with a specific doctor through a video call application. It requires a simple registration process to access the software application, contact the doctor and fix an appointment. It is simple, reliable and effective.
 

Importance of Online Medical Consultation During the Pandemic

With the unexpected impact of the rising spread of coronavirus, the Indian government imposed a complete lockdown throughout the country. Researchers believed that the secondary spread of the virus occurred particularly in hospitals, and the outpatient departments and services were shut.
 

However, in India, due to lack of health awareness, low affordability and limited access to physical healthcare services, such lockdown restrictions imposed an extreme shortage of healthcare services. Therefore, Healthcare services providers, such as hospitals, clinics, aggregator websites responded by introducing online consultation, telemedicine and other digital technologies for health.
 

The guidelines for online doctor consultation ensured that the practitioner should be aware of the patient data and privacy laws. The progress of successful treatment for the patients through online consultations rests with well-established infrastructure. Hospitals upgraded to the best infrastructure in terms of internet connectivity and ensuring technological knowledge to the stakeholders. 
 

Why do People Prefer Online Consultation During the Covid -19 Pandemic?

Online doctor consultation during Covid-19 became prominent for every type of disorder because it offered the necessary features for effective treatment. Here is a detail about it.
 

1. Safety - The Covid-19 pandemic scenario and the spread of the coronavirus were drastic in a short period. The virus could kill many people instantly, and the main hazard was physical contact with substances in our environment. People considered safety as an important parameter in any aspect, especially regarding medical treatment and visiting hospitals.
   
   With an online consultation, you can stay safe at home while consulting your medical issues to the doctor online.
   
   
2. Convenience - Convenience is one important benefit of online doctor consultation for Covid-19. You can download the application of the specific hospital, get yourself registered by providing your details, and request the appointment of the specialist doctor of your preference. The doctor will be intimated by the mobile application for the appointment request.
   
   Based on the timeline, the doctor will accept or postpone the online consultation timing. You can get notified of the online consultation status update and keep yourself safe at home.
   
   You can get on a video call with the doctor, explain your health concerns and get the necessary medical advice and prescription. It is extremely safe, easy and convenient!
   
   



3. Regular check-ups - If your online medical consultation for Covid-19 requires regular check-ups, you can always make the appointment request before the check-up date and get assured of your consultation any number of times. Some hospitals and doctors keep opening a consultation for five to seven days for a single payment. Therefore, it is cost-effective in the long run.
   
   Suppose your doctor has advised you to take an X-Ray or any other test to identify the issue. You can get it done elsewhere, scan and upload the report for further consultations.
   
   
4. Quick payments - In the event of a pandemic, even exchanging hard cash is not safe considering the spread of the virus. For online medical consultations, you can make quick payments online. It is reliable, secure and affordable.
   
   With the advent of technology, many financial service organizations have introduced mobile applications that offer swift pay services that are convenient to use.
   
   
5. Compensates for direct treatment - Many people have an inherent fear that online medical consultation will not compensate for direct treatment done by meeting a doctor physically.
   
   However, the doctors take all the necessary steps to ensure they can make the best use of technology for the diagnosis.
   
   
6. Compatibility with online life insurance - If you have started your online medical consultations and your treatment requires financial support from your insurance provider, even that is possible!
   
   When you purchase life insurance online, you can get access to many services in the same medium.
    

Conclusion

The emergence of online medical consultation during Covid-19 in India is a breakthrough in the life of common people. With the sudden surge of increasing Covid cases and deaths in India, the government imposed restrictions on economic activities and a complete lockdown. And it applied majorly to hospitals where the spread of the virus is extensive. However, doctors cannot avoid medical examination and treatment for patients suffering from different ailments.

Therefore, the introduction of online medical consultation for the better health of the common people gave instant access to doctor consultation on demand. Online medical consultations ensured safety, convenience, regular check-ups, quick payments and treatment equivalent to direct physical meetings, and compatibility towards online insurance claims.

Make the use of this facility from Tata AIA Life Insurance and avail yourself of efficient medical consultation services from the comfort of your home!

L&C/Advt/2022/Nov/2729