As Covid-19 cases surge, telemedicine may address doctor shortage

Hospitals are also training doctors to become intensivists

hospital, beds, patients, doctors, nurses, health care, health workers, coronavirus, testing, vaccine

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Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, India would get around 500,000 intensive care unit (ICU) admissions every year, with roughly 70,000 ICU beds in the country

Sohini Das Mumbai

5 min read Last Updated : Jun 15 2020 | 1:24 AM IST

Even as the country’s health care infrastructure of beds, ventilators, and personal protective gear is ramped up and new therapies prescribed to treat Covid-19 patients, the shortage of critical care specialists has become acute as the number of cases rises.

Health care professionals and state governments are addressing the problem in a two-pronged strategy of training doctors to become intensivists and adopt the telemedicine route.

According to a Ficci-NatHealth report on telemedicine, 1.7 million Covid-positive cases are expected to seek tele-support in the next 100 days, and with other primary care needs will need around 33 million hours of doctors’ consultations.

The study

Topics : Coronavirus healthcare doctors

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