Health is indisputably one of the most important priorities for sustainable development.
Keeping that in mind, to improve healthcare delivery in far-flung areas devoid of primary healthcare of the state, the Government of Odisha decided to set up telemedicine centers, where doctors could be made available through teleconsultations. Glocal Healthcare Systems was selected for the first phase of this scheme, in Nabarangpur and Keonjhar districts.
Presently, 30 digitally enabled dispensaries (operational in the two districts of Keonjhar and Nabarangpur) was done in order to improve access to quality care through remote consultations with certified doctors, diagnosis, treatment or referral to higher level medical institutions.
Various applications of technology in this digital dispensaries-such as loT enabled vital testing & investigations, online consultation with doctors, Al tools aiding physicians incorrect diagnosis, prescription generation and automatic dispensing of medicines-strive to make the patient healthcare cycle much more efficient and effective. In lieu of this project, Odisha has been awarded the Express Public Health Award 2018 for the Most Effective Health Technology System by a State Government.
Through these digital dispensaries, the State aims to achieve at least 1 OPD with medication per person within 5 km radius of over 90% of the population within a one year period. These dispensaries enable diagnosis of malaria, low haemoglobin or blood sugar, pregnancy, cardiac conditions and also have linkages with existing secondary& tertiary health care facilities.
The success of this partnership so far can be substantiated by the growth of patients consultations in rural areas (Compound Annual Growth Rate of 15% month on month), reduction in average lag time between onset of ailment and visit to the digital dispensaries and improvement in recovery rates of patients.
