It’s a well-known fact that Health is Wealth. Health adversely affects not only the health but overall financial, family, and social aspects of one’s life. Untimely identification of health problems results in various social problems. One healthcare project was undertaken by Smile Foundation and one of its most committed partners, Philips in the Mewat region of Haryana, India to make healthcare accessible to the rural area through technology.
Many people are deprived of trustworthy, consistent, modern health care because of their location as they can be miles from a hospital or clinic, living in a desolate area, or regularly underserved areas. After Covid-19, it was very difficult for the community members of Mewat to get consulted by the doctors physically in the hospitals.
To enhance access to healthcare in remote locations of Mewat through digital healthcare intervention, Smile Foundation partnered with Philips India and a total of 269 mobile OPDs were conducted and a total of 13753 patients were treated during the reporting period.
Mobile Telemedicine Unit
Telemedicine came as a boon for patients shortly after the government of India and the Medical Council of India released their new guidelines for use of telemedicine during the pandemic. Even without a medical emergency like the pandemic, providing in-person healthcare is challenging, particularly given the large geographical distances and limited resources.
This particular Mobile Telemedicine Unit conducts OPDs 5 days in a week covering 1-2 villages per day falling within the catchment areas of the sub-centers for general consultation. On the 6th day, the unit carries out documentation and stock update. The roster is prepared during the pre-operational period. To avoid duplication of services provided by the government, only those services will be provided which are not covered by the sub-center.
Short Case Story
Mr. Shankar Hadpad is a 55-year-old farmer. His main source of livelihood is farming, but due to the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in farming, he was diagnosed with a skin disease 2 years ago. He consulted several dermatologists but did not get cured from the prescribed medication from the private Hospitals.
When he came to know about the Smiles on Wheels (SoW) service, he visited it and got counseled by the SoW doctor along with the nurse. Thankfully, around 75 % of his ringworms have now been cured.
As medical facilities are limited in a rural area, telemedicine consultation has been very helpful to the beneficiaries in getting themselves treated. They are able to access primary health care services through the telemedicine unit. This healthcare project is a complete success.