COVID third wave: AP government readies 42k phones for telemedicine service

Visakhapatnam: For the first time in the country, the Andhra Pradesh government is using Smartphones to facilitate the telemedicine services to the needy in the context of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in the state.

The government anticipates an increase in the number of Covid cases due to the Sankranthi gatherings. On Monday, 4,108 new cases were added to the state’s tally, of which 1,018 cases were from the port city.

AP state Programme manager for National Health Mission and Telemedicine, Appa Rao, said, "We have distributed 42,000 smartphones to ASHA workers and a special training has been imparted to them. We will start the smartphone services for telemedicine users within a day or two."

This apart, 14 more telemedicine hubs will be set up in addition to the existing 13 centers. Visakhapatnam district will have one each at Paderu, Anakapalli and Andhra Medical College.

Anyone can utilise the telemedicine services. Asha workers go to the beneficiaries' doorsteps and directly book the medicine through an App.

"Not only for Covid, the telemedicine concept can be introduced for any designated health service that is provided free of cost," said Vizianagaram programme officer Suryanarayana.

According to health officials, the government arranged 53,184 beds across the state to face the third wave. Only 1,200 odd people were hospitalised out of 30,182 active cases as on Monday and only 600 of them required oxygen support.

It used to take a fortnight for the discharge of Covid patients from hospitals, but now it takes only a week.

"One Covid Care Centre has been set up in each constituency as per the CM’s advice and 28,000 beds have been arranged in them," a health official said. New ICMR guidelines do not call for Covid tests on people without symptoms.

- 42,000 smart phones

- AP tops in telemedicine services

- Phones distributed to Asha workers

- 30,000 odd active Covid cases in AP

- 53,184 beds are ready for third wave

- 1,200 odd beds occupied so far