India Fights COVID-19: Now Get Doctors’ Prescriptions Over Phone

New Delhi: To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, the Centre has allowed doctors to write prescriptions based on telephonic conversations with patients.

The Union Health Ministry informed this in telemedicine guidelines framed jointly by the Medical Council of India and NITI Aayog on Wednesday.

The guidelines are also aimed at decongesting healthcare facilities in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the country as well as make healthcare accessible to remote areas, according to a report in the Times of India.

With most people facing difficulties in visiting hospitals and healthcare facilities due to the current immobilisation, the guidelines will also make faster medical intervention possible.

The guidelines also provide information on various aspects of telemedicine, including on technology platforms and tools available to medical practitioners and how to integrate them for healthcare delivery.

“Disasters and pandemics pose unique challenges to providing healthcare. Though telemedicine will not solve them all, it is well suited for scenarios in which medical practitioners can evaluate and manage patients. A telemedicine visit can be conducted without exposing staff to viruses/infections in the times of such outbreaks,” a Central document on the guidelines said.

“Health systems that are invested in telemedicine are well positioned to ensure that patients with COVID-19 kind of issues receive the care they need,” it added.