The pandemic has been a moment of launching, filling in for beginners by providing plug-and-play virtual healthcare solutions across Sri Lanka. But will this trend surpass the current crisis and evolve into a major focus on the island? In one of our previous blogs, we discussed why we need an innovative telehealth service right now. You can read it here. So, it demands a proper plan when it comes to introducing telehealth to Sri Lanka via telemedicine. We have even discussed the problems that can arise while implementing an Islandwide telemedicine system in Sri Lanka and the best solutions. For a better understanding of introducing telehealth to rural Sri Lanka, read our previous blog here.
Foundation for introducing telehealth to rural Sri Lanka
By using telehealth in rural areas of Sri Lanka to assist in providing and distributing health care, patients can reduce or minimize the challenges and pressures associated with transportation-related care. Also, telehealth can improve monitoring, timeliness and communication in the healthcare system.
For instance, draw back your memories of the Covid-19 lockdown period. At that time, people rushed to online platforms for searching medical assistance. Regardless, social media was used throughout the pandemic as a platform for medical needs. Some home deliveries and pharmacies started their business by developing applications. Neither of them introduced a successful method like telehealth to rural Sri Lanka or any other long-term answer for the inactive healthcare sector in the country.
If there were such a platform in Sri Lanka, it would have been more convenient for the people in those days. Since it was a lockdown, the wide spread of disease rushed throughout Sri Lanka, and people were in trouble to meet doctors, pharmacies, and psychologists. People living in rural areas were the major victims of the problem.
How does telehealth improve health care access in rural communities?
The Journal of rural health explores the potential of telemedicine to increase access to health care for underprivileged communities. It notices that telemedicine has evolved to be practical and convenient and that despite obstacles such as limited broadband access and patient capability, it is becoming more sustainable for one who provides it ideally.
The role of telehealth in an evolving healthcare environment proves how it increases healthcare quality and overall costs by reducing returns to rural communities and preventable emergency department visits.
Telehealth allows small rural hospitals and clinics to provide quality healthcare locally and at a low cost, benefiting rural patients as they do not have to travel long distances to receive specialized treatment.
It is essential to avoid transferring patients when small hospitals and service providers in rural areas can provide treatment locally for viability. It also helps tertiary care centres to keep beds open for patients in need of critical care.
Using telehealth to provide specialized services is more feasible for staff with technical and sub-speciality service providers for those rural healthcare facilities. Telehealth specialists and subspecies improve access to rural patients and provide a broader range of healthcare to rural communities through telemedicine.
What is the essential need for a better introduction of telehealth to rural Sri Lanka?
Islandwide doctor-patient-pharmacy network. The main requirement of a perfect telehealth or telemedicine service inside the rural areas in Sri Lanka demands a broader doctor-patient-pharmacy network. Since the people are a lot more interested in seeing the same doctor, rural people are not interested in visiting city hospitals.
They are more likely to visit their family doctor at their junction clinic for a common disease like the common cold. The issue is he/she only will be available for 2-3 hours per day and not every day. So, they got a lot of waiting time. However, if they can meet their family doctor on a digital platform, they will encourage to explore the other features too.
Although the platform has spread to every corner of Sri Lanka, rural people might not be interested in using it. The reason is even if they receive the prescriptions and reports via the application, they have to go to the pharmacy in the city to buy the prescription.
That will be a huge issue. So, to minimize that conflict, the telehealth platform that will be established in the rural areas of Sri Lanka should have the facilities to order medicines. Here, they are more likely to buy the medication if they have a rural pharmacy, so those pharmacies also should take part in the platform.
Benefits of introducing telehealth to rural Sri Lanka
Suppose we make a list of these benefits that patients will get. The following things may be at the top.
- Reducing time and cost of people in rural areas.
- Reducing the need for transportation for medical needs
- Instant access to the best doctors and specialists.
- It is easy to see a doctor and get advice in an emergency.
- Home delivery of medicine.
- Prescriptions can be repeated monthly without delays.
- Easy and convenient for the busy guardians.
- Reducing the risk of lives.
In fact, the service providers must give these services with perfection. While a requirement analysis, we found and implemented the ideas and features suitable for such an advanced telehealth app in Sri Lanka. Expect to explore those features and get to know how to maintain Deedmed.lk for advanced healthcare knowledge and services. We will always be with you!
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