Telemedicine makes healthcare more accessible
VK Roy, a doctor in Faridabad, says the Covid pandemic has underlined the need to innovate. Photo: TOB
By DIVYANSHI BATRA
FARIDABAD: The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the Indian healthcare system withmany people , especially in the metros and other big cities, preferring telemedicine over physically visiting the doctors. “Telemedicine has both its advantages and disadvantages," VK Roy , a neurologist in Metro Hospital , Faridabad , said.
Covid-19 is not going away anytime soon, and it’s time that people learn to live with it, say experts. Telemedicine is a safe way of providing consultation topatients as visiting hospitals or clinics can increase the risk of spreading the virus.
Roy also thinks that teleconsultations will continue post-pandemic as well. “Now that people know they can consult a doctor sitting at their homes, not having to wait for their appointments or outstation patients not required to travel to other cities, most people will gradually switch to this medium,” Roy said. However, everything has its pros and cons.
Telemedicine is not as convenient as it seems to be, checking muscles and joints is not what a layman can do. A lot of times patients fail to describe their problems or symptoms in details, which might lead to a wrong medical prescription.
According to Roy, another disadvantage of teleconsultations is that there is no way of physical examinations, which increases the risk of missing out on important information regarding the issue.
The pandemic has also given a rise to anxiety and stress among people, which affected their mental health. Telemedicine proved to be a boon for such people.
Shonali Mehra, a Covid-19 survivor, shared her experience of teleconsulting a doctor. Mehra was quarantined in her home, so she couldn’t visit a doctor, but through telemedicine she was able to consult a doctor in a safe and convenient way. “Telemedicine helped me fight against coronavirus and recover without facing much difficulties,” Mehra said.
“Visiting a psychologist or a therapist is not easy in India but virtual consultation has benefited a lot of people,” Diksha Mehra, a psychologist based in Faridabad, said.
A lot of teenagers used this pandemic as an opportunity to approach a therapist since it’s difficult to convince parents in most Indian households.
She is, however, of the view that it’s better to visit a psychologist in person as virtually there are a lot of disturbances and people are not able to fully express themselves due to the presence of their family members.
Mehra also said that a person having severe issues, such as depression can’t be treated in the same environment.Sleeplessness , anxiety, fear of missing out and post traumatic disorder are issues besides depression that Mehra said she has dealt with the most during this pandemic.
Diksha Mehra, a psychologist based in Faridabad. Photo: TOB
A therapist according to the needs creates a specific environment for the patient and applies a lot of techniques that helps them express their feelings, which for obvious reasons can’t be done online.
One such therapy is psychodynamic therapy.
The pandemic changed our lives completely and forced our country to go on the back foot, almost all of our frontline workers are engaged in fighting against the pandemic.
It’s almost a year now since the pandemic hit us last year, but it also gave us many new alternatives like telemedicine. Telemedicine is the new normal, an effective way to consult a medical professional without any hassles of going to a clinic.
(The story first appeared in The Times of Bennett, the lab newspaper produced by the first semester students of The Times School of Media.)
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FARIDABAD: The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the Indian healthcare system with
Covid-19 is not going away anytime soon, and it’s time that people learn to live with it, say experts. Telemedicine is a safe way of providing consultation to
Roy also thinks that teleconsultations will continue post-pandemic as well. “Now that people know they can consult a doctor sitting at their homes, not having to wait for their appointments or outstation patients not required to travel to other cities, most people will gradually switch to this medium,” Roy said. However, everything has its pros and cons.
Telemedicine is not as convenient as it seems to be, checking muscles and joints is not what a layman can do. A lot of times patients fail to describe their problems or symptoms in details, which might lead to a wrong medical prescription.
According to Roy, another disadvantage of teleconsultations is that there is no way of physical examinations, which increases the risk of missing out on important information regarding the issue.
The pandemic has also given a rise to anxiety and stress among people, which affected their mental health. Telemedicine proved to be a boon for such people.
Shonali Mehra, a Covid-19 survivor, shared her experience of teleconsulting a doctor. Mehra was quarantined in her home, so she couldn’t visit a doctor, but through telemedicine she was able to consult a doctor in a safe and convenient way. “Telemedicine helped me fight against coronavirus and recover without facing much difficulties,” Mehra said.
“Visiting a psychologist or a therapist is not easy in India but virtual consultation has benefited a lot of people,” Diksha Mehra, a psychologist based in Faridabad, said.
A lot of teenagers used this pandemic as an opportunity to approach a therapist since it’s difficult to convince parents in most Indian households.
She is, however, of the view that it’s better to visit a psychologist in person as virtually there are a lot of disturbances and people are not able to fully express themselves due to the presence of their family members.
Mehra also said that a person having severe issues, such as depression can’t be treated in the same environment.
Diksha Mehra, a psychologist based in Faridabad. Photo: TOB
A therapist according to the needs creates a specific environment for the patient and applies a lot of techniques that helps them express their feelings, which for obvious reasons can’t be done online.
One such therapy is psychodynamic therapy.
The pandemic changed our lives completely and forced our country to go on the back foot, almost all of our frontline workers are engaged in fighting against the pandemic.
It’s almost a year now since the pandemic hit us last year, but it also gave us many new alternatives like telemedicine. Telemedicine is the new normal, an effective way to consult a medical professional without any hassles of going to a clinic.
(The story first appeared in The Times of Bennett, the lab newspaper produced by the first semester students of The Times School of Media.)
Join exciting programmes offered by Bennett University
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