In recent years, telemedicine has emerged as one of the most revolutionary healthcare delivery systems, both in India and internationally. Telemedicine has been found to be effective at democratizing healthcare, and has enabled vulnerable sections of society to seek both primary and specialized care without having to travel to metropolitan cities.

The legal status of telemedicine in India was uncertain prior to the release of the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines in March 2020, which laid down the framework within which medical practitioners may consult with patients or other medical/healthcare practitioners remotely. This clarity, coupled with the pandemic, has propelled the industry forward, with the NITI Aayog projecting that the Indian telemedicine market will grow at a CAGR of 31% from 2020 to 2025. eSanjeevani, the National Telemedicine Service in India that was launched in April 2020, has served over 10 crore patients in a span of less than two years.

With advancements in technology, the practice of telemedicine is evolving at a rapid pace while the regulatory framework has remained stagnant. In this paper, we discuss telemedicine as a healthcare delivery system, the regulatory framework for telemedicine in India, and the practical challenges that the current regime poses for telemedicine-providers.

Please click here to access our paper.

Regards,

- Varsha Rajesh, Eshika Phadke, Darren Punnen and Dr. Milind Antani

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