DocOnline ,a leading online healthcare consultation platform announced the bagging of an order to implement e-PHC services at Primary Health Centres in Uttar Pradesh. As part of the PPP project DocOnline will run couple of e-PHCs or digital dispensaries across major districts of UP to provide complete Healthcare solutions to the citizens of these locations. Citizens are entitled to these services at no cost. DocOnline will establish and manage these centres for a period of 3 years. 

The digital dispensary shall enable online doctor consultation, conduct basic investigations & diagnostic tests and distribute medicine as may be prescribed. The digital dispensaries shall be operational for minimum of 8 (eight) hours every day and 6 (six) working days every week.

Healthcare delivery in these regions is plagued by various challenges that include non-availability of doctors due to extreme shortage or absenteeism, pilferage of medicines, lack of basic lab facilities, non-qualified nurses to treat urgent cases amongst others.

 “Increasingly we are finding that technology will play a pivotal role in addressing the healthcare challenges of affordability, accessibility, awareness and quality in India. Technology based delivery is helping us expand our footprint in the country with ease and in providing innovative solutions such as the digital dispensaries to improve the overall healthcare requirements even in remote regions.  Our vision is to create a healthier life for all people in India and we will continue to use latest in the technology to shape these creative healthcare solutions.”, said Mr. Markus Moding, CEO DocOnline.

As per various reports, though doctor availability and access in certain urban areas is improving, but still the gap (doctor/patient ~ 1/19972) in Uttar Pradesh is huge and in most part of the country it’s an escalating concern. Technological revolution has a huge opportunity to address the demand supply gap in the requirement of 400,000 more doctors by 2020 to a large extent, which otherwise is unlikely to be met.

How DocOnline will make a difference

DocOnline will equip each of the PHC locations provided by the government, approximately around 1000-1500 sq. ft comprising of 2-3 rooms with a bed, lab testing facilities and a trained lab technician, a nurse and video conference equipment.  A state of art automatic dispensing system placed at each of the centres will ensure not only correct medicine basis the prescription is dispensed but also drastically lowers the pilferage. 

DocOnline through its hi-tech virtual doctor consultation platform will ensure that doctors are available constantly during specified times for all patients walking into the PHC across the 10 locations to consult via video at these locations. Patients can also take advantage of consulting specialists for the first time through these digital dispensaries, due to access to DocOnline’s extensive panel of doctors.

24/7 Power back-up systems will ensure that there is continuity in delivery of the services. Typically, primary healthcare centres witness complaints of snake, dog and scorpion bites apart from cold, cough fever and pregnancy cases. Nurses stationed at the centre are extensively trained and fully equipped to handle such emergencies.

Commenting on the implementation of the e-PHCs Mr. Rahul Paith, Chief Operations Officer & Head of Government Affairs– DocOnline said, “These solutions provide for multiple benefits to large number of stakeholders – patient, physician and the hospitals leading to timely, cost effective and quality healthcare delivery and reducing the burden on the government. Affordable accessibility to quality and specialised healthcare to the patients.

For the physicians it means improved diagnosis and better treatment management, access to computerized, comprehensive data (text, voice, images etc.) of patients – offline as well as in real time, quick and timely follow-up of patients discharged after palliative care and continuing education or training through video conferencing periodically. And significant reduction in unnecessary visits & hospitalization for specialized care at tertiary hospitals, earlier discharge of patients leading to shorter length of stay in hospitals, increase in the scope of services without creating physical infrastructure in remote hospitals.”

As per the contract DocOnline will operationalize these from middle of September’19 and serve lakhs of patients every month and conduct online doctor consultations for this project.