Solan tops in telemedicine service

Himachal Pradesh Polity and Governance

Solan district has topped the state in providing telemedicine facilities to 8,857 people through its health and wellness centres during the pandemic from March 2020.
The district has secured the top slot in both monthly and daily reporting. It has surpassed bigger districts like Mandi, Shimla and Kangra.
Telemedicine through e-sanjeevani platform was initiated in view of Covid-19 in March 2020 in 22 health and wellness centres (HWCs). It has now been extended to 56 HWCs.
All primary health centres have been made a hub of telemedicine, which are further connected to the National Health Mission Hub at the IGMC, Shimla, Medical College, Tanda, as well as Ner Chowk medical college, Mandi.
Mandi district got the second slot where 5,272 patients availed of the facility, followed by Kangra (3,730), Shimla (2,680), Chamba (2,649), Kullu (2,478), Sirmaur (2,312), Bilaspur (1,951), Hamirpur (779), Kinnaur (179), Una (126) and Lahaul-Spiti with nine patients. The telemedicine facility has a limited reach in Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti where merely 188 are availing of the benefit.
DC, Solan, KC Chaman said Helpage, an NGO, had done a tremendous job in providing telemedicine facilities and this has now become a way of life for people.
District programme-cum nodal officer Dr VK Goel said, “We have identified and upgraded 39 public health centres and 109 sub-centres to health and wellness centres.