Bhubaneswar: Taking note of the plight of patients with government hospitals forced to close their OPDs amid COVID-19 pandemic, the Odisha government has decided to launch telemedicine services from July 20.
Briefing mediapersons after presiding over a high-level review meeting via video conferencing at the Lok Seva Bhawan on Thursday, Health and Family Welfare minister Naba Kishore Das said that the telemedicine service will be available in seven state-run medical colleges and hospital and district headquarters hospitals in 30 districts.
Besides, the service will also be available at Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH), Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar, Sishu Bhawan and Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer in Cuttack, he said.
The minister further said that the telemedicine service in government medical colleges will be available round-the-clock while in the district headquarters hospitals, it will be open from 8 am to 5 pm.
To ensure proper implementation of telemedicine service, the Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) will provide two mobile phones and SIM cards to each hospital, he added.
