01 April,2024 07:40 PM IST | Mumbai | IANS
Image for representational purposes only. Photo Courtesy: iStock
There has been a four-fold increase in online doctor consultations in India, since the Covid-19 pandemic, revealed a report on Monday.
The report by Practo, a digital healthcare platform, showed that Tier 1 cities account for most online consultations (72 per cent). The appointments have grown by 6 times, since 2019, in these cities.
Tier 2 cities contribute 12 per cent towards online consultations, while the remaining 16 per cent come from the rest of India.
Video consultations have also seen tremendous growth -- from just 20 per cent in 2019 to 90 per cent in 2023.
ALSO READ
Mobile phone use can worsen heart disease in smokers, diabetics: Study
No link between sports concussions and cognitive problems: Study
India ranks 38th globally in suicide deaths: Report
Night owls may be at a higher risk of diabetes, finds study
Rising consumption of processed, packaged food in India to affect health outcome
"With the increasing penetration of smartphones and declining data prices, digital platforms have become instrumental in bridging existing gaps in the healthcare ecosystem. And we have seen growing acceptance for online consultations from patients and healthcare professionals," said Dr Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Health Strategy Officer, Practo.
The top specialities for consultation include general physicians, dermatology, gynaecology, paediatrics and ear, nose and throat (ENT).
Consultations soared the most for eye care (1332 per cent), followed by paediatrics (1203 per cent) and orthopaedics (896 per cent), the report said.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
