Bridging the Health Divide: The Role of Telemedicine in Advancing Healthcare for Rural Areas and Implementing SDGs in India

Abstract Telemedicine, formerly considered an experimental concept, has become a highly specialized and convenient way to receive healthcare, especially for patients in remote areas. (Ateriya, et al., 2018).Telemedicine refers to the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients utilizing telecommunications technology, thus delivering significant healthcare services to low-income areas. The first known use of telemedicine was in the early 20th century, when electrocardiograms (ECGs) were sent over the telephone.. ( Chellaiyan, et al.,2019)In India, the adoption and integration of telemedicine services remain limited due to several obstacles. Key factors include the absence of legal and administrative clarity regarding the use of technology for service delivery, as well as the reluctance of health service providers to embrace new advancements However; the dynamics have changed in the face of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The Telemedicine practice guidelines issued in March 2020, along with the Tele psychiatry operational guidelines released in May 2020, seem to eliminate these barriers and foster equitable access to healthcare. This article examines the implications of these process (Dinakaran, et al.,2020).As services resume their normal operations, it is crucial to investigate if the utilization of tele health services during the shutdown has influenced any trends regarding the acceptance of telehealth as a dependable substitute for conventional in-person health care services. (Kichloo, et al.,2020). Telemedicine provides useful assistance to family doctors through the convenience of access to specialist consultations and continuous monitoring of patients. Telemedicine involves a number of service models—such as store-and-forward, real-time communications, and remote or self-monitoring—which allow for education, delivery of healthcare, disease screening, and disaster relief on a global basis. Though telemedicine cannot solve all issues in the healthcare system, it works significantly to alleviate the workload ( Sud, E, et al 2019)