NMC Does Not Encourage Medical Practice Through Private Platform or Aggregators! this is the recent clarification by MOH of India.is it not retrograde? let us see...
what &how is online practice and the role of various facilitators?
Though these online aggregators have been there even before the pandemic, pandemic lockdowns perpetuate these IT enabled platforms into lime light.
The comfort of getting various medical services from the home is the usp of this revolution. The post-pandemic era has seen a Healthtech revolution that lagged for over two decades. Healthtech start-ups and government initiatives strive hard to provide primary and advanced healthcare services in rural India. The advent of technology addresses the three main pillars of healthcare – Healthcare access and delivery, affordability, and quality.
primary and specialist consultations, second opinions, at home lab services, lab on chip and hub&spoke models, home nursing, post hospital rehabilitation, some of the day care procedures like dialysis have been provided at the doorsteps of the patients especially in metro and urban regions.
Companies like Practo, mFine, DocsApp and AskApollo already enable millions of consumers to consult physicians and specialists in real-time via mobile apps.
Portea, CallHealth and Zoctr provide home services.
Services like SigTuple, KlinicApp, 5C Network and Qure.ai provide direct-to-consumer laboratory tests.
Then there are online medicine-ordering services like 1mg, Netmeds and PharmEasy.
These platforms have the potential to alter the fabric of Indian healthcare markets – but also have their own challenges. IT-related disruptions – non-scheduling of appointments, payment issues, delays in drug and diagnostics delivery – often lead to dissatisfied patients and providers. Other common issues include compliance difficulties, growth pressure and business sustainability.
But despite these troubles, many platforms have created a huge demand for personalized treatment. The platform economy has trained consumers to expect transparent pricing, standard quality and the ability to do business with a provider of their choice.
With countrywide lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic, these aggregator platforms proved to be lifelines for lakhs of patients and providers.
is it legal?
yes. telemedicine is legal.
is it ethical?
yes,if there are no private platforms who acts as middlemen with revenue sharing model.
What is NMC? ITS purview?
The National Medical Commission (NMC) is a statutory body which is entrusted with the responsibility of discharging the duty of maintenance of the highest standard of medical education in the country.
Which body will monitor the professional conduct of doctors?
The professional conduct of medical practitioner is governed by Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 which was notified by erstwhile Medical Council of India.
Clause 3.8 of the Regulations permitted medical practitioner, registered under NMC Act, 2019, consultation through Telemedicine. But it does not encourage medical practice through private platforms or aggregators.
NMC or the state medical
council is empowered to take action in case of any violations in such matters.
EMRB of NMC & STATE MEDICAL COUNCILS could take action on un-ethical practises under which regulations?
IMC REGULATIONS-2002.
"Any act of violating the Indian Medical Council
(Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 amounts to
professional misconduct. The Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of
the National Medical Commission or the appropriate State Medical Councils have
been empowered to take disciplinary action against a doctor for violation of
the provisions of the aforesaid Regulations. The Ethics and Medical
Registration Board is an Appellate Authority in the matter,
So, registered medical practitioners of allopathy cannot list themselves with Online internet platforms including JustDial, Sulekha and even practice management software like PRACTO that allows online consultations and revenue sharing.
Is it not retrograding policy of the govt to curb the online health aggregators?
yes! why because, let us analyse...
During the pre-pandemic era, rural India was deprived of primary and advanced healthcare facilities. Last-mile accessibility was the primary hurdle for the regional population. Healthcare startups have taken groundbreaking initiatives in building a robust healthcare ecosystem.
Telemedicine has been one of the most successful innovations in connecting millions, a million miles away, saving lives. Consumer-centric apps, online aggregators, and e-commerce platforms provide 24*7 healthcare access and delivery.
Affordability - The primary concern among the rural population is the out-of-pocket healthcare costs. Also, the majority of the Indian population still stands uninsured; this makes it more essential to make primary and critical care affordable.
Healthtech start-ups have considered this key factor and are working towards making healthcare services affordable in every part of the country.
Quality – Quality healthcare is a pressing problem in rural India. Healthtech start-ups are improving healthcare experiences and providing healthcare in the hands of consumers. They are creating awareness about the importance of monitoring their health, the necessity of maintaining hygiene, vaccination, etc.
Risk-adjusting quality measures for social factors have benefited patients and healthcare providers. It has primarily addressed the challenges faced by the patients and helped provide comprehensive care.
The Global Landscape
The outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic has seen a rapid acceleration of the global digital health market by building robust healthcare IT infrastructure, innovation in mobile health applications, and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT).
The world has reaped Mobile Health’s (mHealth) benefits expeditiously, and India is not far behind. In 2020, the mHealth market was valued at about USD 56 billion. It is estimated to reach a market value of USD 805 billion by growing at a CAGR of over 30% between 2021 and 2030. The US has dominated the mHealth market by developing healthcare IT infrastructure.
In Germany, mobile applications are widely used to improve health and lifestyle. The region has seen an array of mHealth apps for doctors and patients to monitor specific disabilities and diseases.
Prominent market leaders across the globe are expansively focusing on product innovations and strategic collaborations to achieve higher synergies.
The Indian Landscape and the Way Forward
Public-private partnerships are on the rise with supportive government initiatives in the healthcare sector. Ayushman Bharat (PMJAY) was launched to provide universal healthcare coverage to 50 crore Indians by 2030. Technology has been the apt solution to achieve such a significant scale-up in healthcare services. The new-age health tech start-ups are joining hands with various government entities and NGOs to help bridge the gap.
Under Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission (ABDHM), the unique Health ID will be a repository to all patients' health-related information, encompassing past diagnoses, medical conditions, and treatments. This will help patients share their health records with doctors and health insurers empaneled with ABDHM.
Government can democratize the power of artificial intelligence to analyze historic records tagged with health ids to draft budgets and efficiently implement health programs to benefit the masses.
A report by Ernst and Young stated that India is future-ready with health tech start-ups raising about USD 2.2 billion in 2021 across 131 deals which is the highest in the past many years.
The government shouldn't stop the revolution of healthcare. when we invite FDs from the private companies into health care, why should we curb their evolution and revolution they could brought?
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