Pilot initiatives of using digital health technologies to promote evidence based tele-medicine practice during COVID 19 period in rural India

Not only patients, the doctors and health workers also get benefited from this digital health platform by providing necessary advice without visiting the actual infected area.

Importance of digital health solution in the current world during covid-19 pandemic situation

Providing efficient health solutions to this growing population is posing a major threat to this current world. Digital health platform is providing overall health coverage and has become a vital tool to serve the vulnerable. According to Bernardo Mariano, WHO’s Chief Information Officer, “Digital Health is the future of healthcare. As we take the big leap into digital health, we must ensure that it is people centric, delivers positive health outcomes, does no harm to people and it actually improves the healthcare system as a whole.”  The limitations of physical healthcare system infrastructure and supplies have worsened the whole health system scenario during Covid-19. People living in rural areas are not getting proper treatment due to lack and cost of transportation. Not only patients, the doctors and health workers also get benefited from this digital health platform by providing necessary advice without visiting the actual infected area. In addition to this, the social distancing norm has effectively shut down the traditional face-to-face care. Digital health platforms can become the solution here during this COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Arogyam Health. HaemurEx can test 25 clinical chemistry parameters blood & urine related to diabetes management, liver, cardiovascular, and kidney function

Arogyam telehealth solution with connected devices

Arogyam Medisoft Solutions Pvt. Ltd, a Kolkata based startup, incubated at BioNest, SIIC, IIT Kanpur, has invented a tele-enabled, battery-operated, point of care photo analyzer, designed for potential clinical purpose(s) and a cloud-based lightweight tele-health management system, known as Arogyam Health. HaemurEx can test 25 clinical chemistry parameters blood & urine related to diabetes management, liver, cardiovascular, and kidney function. Use of HaemurEx has been cleared by CDSCO, Govt of India with regulatory approved reagents and received CE compliance certification. It comes with the Arogyam Health is easy to use e-Health platform, accessible through various computing devices, such as a tablet, laptop, or desktop. It is also integrated with digital prescription and electronic medical records. Apart from the standard features available in a telemedicine platform, Arogyam Health is connected with a lightweight 12 lead digital ECG, BP Monitor, SPO2, thermometer, stethoscope. All the equipment can transmit information remotely to a health-cloud, hosted on EU GDPR (European Union General Data Protection Regulation) and HIPPA compliant platform. All the health information remains protected and confidential on HaemurEx cloud server. It gives real-time advice even in the Indian languages. 

The ability to measure oxygen saturation, blood pressure, temperature and cardiac outputs, to hear chest & lungs sound have made this device unique in this pandemic situation as determining the co-morbidities has become one of the most important aspects of the whole treatment.

Techniques having only video conferencing will not be sufficient to practice evidence-based medicine in future. The ability to measure oxygen saturation, blood pressure, temperature and cardiac outputs, to hear chest & lungs sound have made this device unique in this pandemic situation as determining the co-morbidities has become one of the most important aspects of the whole treatment. Ability of testing of these biomarkers at point of care, specifically in rural healthcare can be beneficial for the successful management of various disease conditions. Ease of use, not depending on 220 V power supply and ability to carry the system in a small bag are other unique features of this platform.

This platform can advance universal access to healthcare in countries like India. It can bring all primary health centers and sub centers and outreach clinics together where the patients get doctor’s consultation and follow-ups as well as medicine. This collaborative plan between the community leaders and health care providers is bringing the unconnected individuals especially the villagers into formal healthcare systems.

Arogyam Medisoft is supported by Dept. Of Science & Technology, Govt of India. It has been showcased at WHO global forum of medical devices, promoting accessible and affordable healthcare. It got awarded in various forums including Bengalathon organized by Govt of West Bengal, HealthHack organized by BCCI & Medica Hospital, NASSCOM Emerge 50. It has been recently selected German Development Corporation (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit – GIZ) for piloting the platform further.

Pilot application of arogyam health solution

Arogyam Health platform & devices are developed in consultation with physicians and rural hospitals, practicing community medicine, and piloted so far to treat more than 16000 patients.

In a remote clinic of serving the god foundation at purulia, west bengal

This platform is being used in interiors of Purulia District of West Bengal, 300km from Kolkata, for the past two years in a pilot initiative of evidence-based community medicine practice to provide healthcare services to population outside the mainstream healthcare system in collaboration with Serving the God Foundation, Kolkata, led by Dr. Santanu Bannerjee, treating more than 3500 patients. The clinic at Manihara village is set up by the foundation and all the components of eHealth are progressively being installed at the clinic. The doctors visit the remote health center once in a month. The physicians provide their consultations remotely through Arogyam Health platform. The patients are provided essential medicine charged Rs 10/- at no profit basis. Arogyam Medisoft has been able to provide a scalable infrastructure that comes with physician’s consultation, essential diagnostics & essential medicines for 100000 people. Serving the God Foundation, Kolkata treated more than 700 patients, added an ambulance, an infrastructure to remotely treat diabetic retinopathy and remote consultation by leading gynecologist, Dr Mitali Mukhopadhyay and Dr. Lipika Das Mukhopadhyay. Dr. Bannerjee is extending outreach through medical camps at nearby villages to provide support to the patients suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

In remote clinics & camps of shramajibi swasthya udyog at cooch behar & purba medinipur, west bengal

One similar project is being run by Shramajibi Swasthya, led by Dr. Punyabrata Gun where they are using Arogyam Health platform successfully to deliver health outcomes to more than 200 rural patients during Covid 19 period since June 2020.

In remote primary health sub centres of govt. Of Arunachal pradesh

Being chosen as winner of the Arunachal Pradesh Social Entrepreneurship Meet, Arogyam Medisoft has deployed HaemurEx & Arogyam Health Platform in Changlang District of Arunachal Pradesh, under the supervision of DMO, since November 2020, connecting District Hospitals with community heath-centers (CHC), primary health centers & sub centers, providing e-Healthcare, essential diagnostic and essential medicines. Arogyam provides all types of the technology infrastructure, training by teaming up with a local partner, in collaboration with Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh. physicians from leading centers across India and USA are providing treatment using Arogyam Health Terminal in Arunachal. Effectiveness of the program will be evaluated in next 6 months to decide on speed of further scale up.

In employee health centers of a plantation in African country

Arogyam Medisoft has deployed HaemurEx & Arogyam Health Platform for a plantation in African country, where the company wants to extend facility of modern medicine for safety and welfare of its employee in affordable and accessible way.

Conclusion

The HaemurEx device and the Arogyam Health platform has huge potential in rural health during this pandemic situation due to its ease of use, portability, no dependence on external power supply and calibration-independent nature. This system can be used in all primary health centers and sub-centers and outreach clinics in combination with provisioning of physician consultation and essential medicine. In future, a micro entrepreneur-based model using local partner is envisioned, ensuring local livelihood generation in the rural areas. If the plan can be deployed over 600 health centers through one particular state, it can generate employment of 1000-1200 rural youth.  It can also be linked with National Rural Health Mission, Pradhan Mantri Jan Oshudhi Program and Ayushman Bharat Wellness clinic programs. It can improve preventive health and wellness and as well can reduce pressure on hospitals. This, in turn, can advance universal access to healthcare in countries like India.