The Indian Army’s E-SeHAT Tele-Consultancy Service

Why in news?

• The Indian Army has moved a step closer to change the pattern of providing health facility to its veterans through relising the E-SeHAT tele-consultancy module under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS).
• According to the implementation plan of this great idea, the veterans will be able to get online medical care at the comfort of their homes from July 30, 2024.
• Thus, using the technologies, the E-SeHAT module plans on delivering medical care to the veterans in time and maximum quality without physical visit to ECHS Polyclinics.

Understanding E-SeHAT: A New Era in Veteran Healthcare

One novel service, the E-SeHAT module or the Electronic Services e-Health Assistance and Tele-consultation, mainly aims at supporting medical consultations through a remote means for the ECHS beneficiaries. This module offers guided telepharmacy consultations based on videos so that the veterans do not have to travel to the ECHS Polyclinics. The main purpose of E-SeHAT is to enhance the health care through increasing the access and utilization by veterans especially those in the rural areas.

Initial Roll out and Spread Across the Country

The pilot phase of the E-SeHAT module was initiated in twelve ECHS Polyclinics, out of which it was planned for remote areas including Baramulla, Imphal, Churachandpur, Dimapur, and Aizawal. It has been evidently implemented Foradil with success during the initial phases of the tele-consultations with the beneficiaries in these areas. The reactions over positive feedback and positivity for its successful implementation then led to a plan for a full nationwide migration that is set for November 2024.

By November 2024, this E-SeHAT module will be installed in all the ECHS Polyclinics detailed the extension 427 and thus bring this service closer to veterans all over the country. This expansion is a proof that the India Army is very determined to increase the quality of health care services for their veterans irrespective of their geographical location.

Compliance and Infrastructure: Ensuring Quality and Reliability

The E-SeHAT module follows the directions of the telemedicine practice set out by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare with NITI AAYOG regulation in March 2020. This compliance helps to guarantee that the tele-consultations are done properly and more importantly safely hence upholding the best standards in health care provision.

In the bid to support the usage of E-SeHAT, various IT hardware and equipment have been dispatched to all the ECHS Polyclinics. This includes equipment that is needed in executing the online consultations including computers, cameras and the internet. Further, faculties working in these polyclinics have also given sensitization to the use of E-SeHAT module and how to deliver efficient tele-consultation services including but not limited to counseling for veterans.

Future Enhancements: Beyond Tele-Consultations

• As contrasted to other tele-consultation projects like E-SeHAT, the said health intervention aims for more than just that. Other features will be included in subsequent phases of the project to provide still more improvement to the healthcare situation for veterans. These enhancements include:
  • Pre-consultation Vital Checks: To make sure that the professionals in the health sector are well equipped with the relevant information, some preliminary Differential blood counts will be prominent before consultation. This will help in providing a better and more precise medical checkup when the tele consultation session is being conducted.
  • Home Delivery of Medicines: Giving importance to patients’ medication compliance, the E-SeHAT module will support home delivery of the required medicines. This service will prove to be very useful for those patients who have complications resulting from mobility and those in the rural areas where there are few pharmacies.
  • Referrals to Empaneled Hospitals: Frankly, tele-consulting medical officers who will be involved in the process will be allowed to direct the veterans to empaneled hospitals if needed. The following simplified referral process will help the patients to attain the necessary medical attention they need as veterans whether it is basic or complicated service.

Aligning with the Digital India Vision

The E-SeHAT module is a meaningful innovation as part of the comprehensive Digital India concept set forward by the Indian government that focusing the radical increase the authorities’ readiness to apply digital technologies in service delivery. Being a remote healthcare delivery module, the E-SeHAT stands as a prototype of Digital India serving the purpose of the emerging service sector of Digital India employed in the healthcare sector.

While it enhances the availability and usability of services for the ex-combatants, this move is a part of the emerging trend of utilizing technologies in the delivery of the healthcare services. Thanks to the elimination of the necessity of carrying out the actual home visits and simplification of the consultations carried out, E-SeHAT improves the effectiveness of the delivery of the healthcare services, as a result being more capable of meeting the needs of veterans.

The Broader Implications of E-SeHAT

• The launch of the E-SeHAT module has several broader implications for the healthcare sector and the well-being of veterans:
  • Enhanced Accessibility: This has brought an easy way through which the veterans especially the ones from the rural or the less served areas can be able to access the quality health care that they require without the burden of traveling for long. This is important as it can imply that quality health care is provided to these veterans regardless of their location.
  • Improved Quality of Care: E-SeHAT is able to offer early time consultations with healthcare professionals hence enabling early diagnosis of health issues. This can translated into better health status among the veterans, since they get the right medical attention on time.
  • Increased Efficiency: This is where utilization of tele-consultations and improvements in the future that include; home delivery of medicines, flow of referrals also advance the healthcare system. This partially decreases the load of physical facilities and effectively manages the utilization of health care resources.
  • Empowerment of Veterans: In other words, through the intervention afforded by E-SeHAT, veterans are enable to have more self-governance over their health. They can set a time that suits them to book an appointment and get a medical consultation in a comfortable manner without being bounded to time and geography.

Conclusion: A New beginning of all veteran health care

The E-SeHAT tele consultancy service has been flagged off by the Indian Army which spells a new era in veterans’ health care. Thus, helping the veterans receive medical consultations remotely, E-SeHAT guarantees timely and quality healthcare for the patients without leaving their homes. This initiative therefore falls in line with the Digital India vision by improving the digital education and inclusion in public services.

As the E-SeHAT scale up nation wide, E-SeHAT fulfills its vision of improving the quality and experience of the veteran’s health care service delivery. The further improvements of E-SeHAT are expected in the future and therefore, the system can become the model for providing the veteran healthcare in India, which would significantly reflect the Indian Army’s concern about its veterans.

FAQS

Q1: What is the E-SeHAT module?
Ans: This module, part of the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), is an electronic service that provides veterans with the ability to receive online medical consultations from home through video-based tele-consultations.

Q2: How can I access the E-SeHAT service?
Ans: Veterans can access service through the ECHS portal or app, where they can schedule and conduct video consultations with healthcare professionals from their homes.

Q3: Which locations are currently offering E-SeHAT services?
Ans: The pilot phase of E-SeHAT is available at 12 ECHS Polyclinics, including remote locations such as Baramulla, Imphal, Churachandpur, Dimapur, and Aizawal. The service will be expanded nationwide by November 2024.

Q4: What are the main benefits of E-SeHAT?
Ans: E-SeHAT provides veterans with convenient access to medical consultations, reduces the need for travel to ECHS Polyclinics, and ensures timely medical care. Future enhancements will include pre-consultation vital checks, home delivery of medicines, and streamlined referrals to empaneled hospitals.