Parliament Question: Promotion of Telemedicine Services in Rural and Remote Regions

GOVERNMENT OFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENT OFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO: 4663 TOBE ANSWERED ON 20.03.2026 PROMOTION OFTELEMEDICINESERVICES IN RURALAND REMOTE REGIONS 4663. SHRISURESHKUMARSHETKAR: SHRIVIJAYAKUMARALIASVIJAYVASANTH: Will the Ministerof HEALTH andFAMILYWELFAREbe pleased tostate: (a) whether the Government has prepared a national roadmap to scale up telemedicine services across rural and remote regions, if so, the State-wise coverage and patient utilisation data thereof; (b) whether telemedicine infrastructure in PrimaryHealthCentressuffers from connectivity and equipment shortages, if so, the details of deficiencies identified and corrective measures undertakeninthisregard; (c) whether the Government proposes dedicated funding support to States for expanding telemedicine networks under Centrally sponsored schemes, if so, the details of allocation andthe utilisationmonitoring mechanism put inplace for such funds; (d) whether trained doctors and specialists are adequately available for tele-consultations in rural areas, if so, the details of the doctor-patient ratio under telemedicine platforms and vacancystatus thereof; (e) whether telemedicine consultations are integrated with Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission records for continuity of treatment, if so, the details of interoperability framework andimplementation status thereof; and (f) whether elderly, maternal and chronic disease patients are specifically covered through telemedicine outreach programmes, if so, the details of beneficiary numbers and targeted healthoutcomesachieved inthisregard? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE (SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV) (a) to (f): Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has implemented a telemedicine service known as national telemedicine service (eSanjeevani) working as per under mentioned variants- i. eSanjeevani AB-AAM: It is a provider-to-provider telemedicine system, launched in November 2019andisbased on hubandspoke model.ii. eSanjeevaniOPD:Itisapatient-to-providertelemedicinesystem,launchedinApril2020,to enable citizens to get outpatient services in the confines of their homes to provide safe provider-to-patient consultations. The platform hasbeendesigned tobring timely,affordable, andqualityhealthcare closer tocitizens, especially those in rural, remote, and underserved areas. Through eSanjeevani AB–AAM, patients visiting Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs receivespecialist consultationswithout the need totravel long distances. Community HealthOfficers andfrontline healthcareworkers assist patients locally,while specialists at district hospitals and medical colleges provide expert medical advice and e- prescriptions remotely. This model significantly reduces out-of-pocket expenditure, referral delays, and overcrowding at higher facilities. Complementing this, eSanjeevani OPD empowers citizens to consult qualifieddoctors directlyfrom theirhomesvia anonline outpatientservice. By saving time, lowering costs, and ensuring continuity of care, the platform improves health-seeking behaviour andenablesearlymedical intervention. As on 16 March 2026, eSanjeevani has served over 45 crores patients across the nation, of which over 57% beneficiaries are women, and around14% beneficiaries are senior citizens.The service is operational through a vast network of 1,38,504 health facilities (spokes), supported by 18,573 hubs and 776 online OPDs, ensuring seamless access to quality healthcare even in the most remote regions. Over 2.31 lakh healthcare providers, including doctors, specialists, super-specialists, and frontline health workers, are actively using the platform to deliver consultations. The state-wise detailsare at Annexure. The eSanjeevani platform has been rolled out in all States/UTs in the country and its implementation iswith the States/UTs. Financialprovisions are disbursed toStates/UTs through the National Health Mission (NHM) Project Implementation Plans (PIPs) for enhanced provision of Teleconsultation services in rural and urban areas. Based on the proposals received in the form of Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs)under NHM. Approval is provided onthe proposals inthe formof Recordof Proceedings(RoPs) aspernorms& availableresources. Duringthe year2024-25, a totalof Rs. 222.88Cr have beenapproved for teleconsultationfacilitiesat HWCs-Rural, under the National HealthMission. The Government has taken the following steps to improve connectivity and equipment availability inremote areas: i. Establishment of regional hubs at Medical colleges and CHCs/DHs, staffed with teams of doctorstosupport the underlyingspokes. .ii. Allowing doctors to conduct teleconsultations in shifts, enabling them to participate alongside their regular duties. Including AYUSH practitioners for specific types of consultations, therebyexpanding the pool of availablehealthcareproviders. . iii. Enabling spokes to call hubs within States and Union Territories (UTs) based on the availability of doctors, thereby addressing challenges in providing teleconsultation services due toshortage of medical professionals infacilities.. iv. StrengtheningeSanjeevani's technologyinfrastructure with userfriendly interfacesandAl- driven tools to enhance doctors' efficiency and reduce their workload. Additionally, eSanjeevani is compliant with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) which enables the secure exchange of health records and ensures that teleconsultations are supported bycomprehensive,patient-centric data. v. To address network connectivity issues, under the Digital India Programme, the Government has taken steps to improve internet connectivity and digital infrastructure across rural areas. Initatives like BharatNet are providing high-speed internet to rural India and supporting telemedicine services in some states. State Governments collaborate with telecom providers to extend broadband coverage upto the Ayushman Arogya Mandir Sub HealthCentre level. vi. TheGovernmentconductstrainingandcapacitybuildingofhealthcareprofessionalsforthe effective useof telemedicine technologythrough the eSanjeevaniplatform.eSanjeevanteam at CDAC Mohali conducts virtual training sessions for doctors and healthcare workers to buildtheircapacities. ****Annexure State/UTwisedetailsofeSanjeevaniTeleconsultations TotalNumber TotalNumberof of S. TotalHUBs TotalSpokes Consultationsin Total State/UT Consultations No Operational Operational eSanjeevani Teleconsultations ineSanjeevani AAM OPD AndamanAnd 1 2 67 884 76 960 NicobarIslands 2 AndhraPradesh 1221 11426 83400598 37046 83437644 3 ArunachalPradesh 12 191 7943 568 8511 4 Assam 362 3229 3044827 46775 3091602 5 Bihar 53 9542 29464229 123170 29587399 6 Chandigarh 5 56 127571 19099 146670 7 Chhattisgarh 276 4465 4553016 1260 4554276 8 Delhi 5 28 3544 77220 80764 9 Goa 23 99 2841 2200 5041 10 Gujarat 1903 9246 12827731 1018813 13846544 11 Haryana 192 1828 1055845 213600 1269445 12 HimachalPradesh 539 1896 1131337 7488 1138825 JammuAnd 13 507 1893 1686495 146604 1833099 Kashmir 14 Jharkhand 29 3248 3706708 12708 3719416 15 Karnataka 2035 6283 24133832 5284439 29418271 16 Kerala 129 6809 2673180 578381 3251561 17 Ladakh 1 201 155094 79 155173 18 Lakshadweep 2 7 627 0 627 19 MadhyaPradesh 177 10147 12186047 7642 12193689 20 Maharashtra 1878 9164 12352939 746507 13099446 21 Manipur 27 271 102213 8721 110934 22 Meghalaya 43 549 358219 14 358233 23 Mizoram 88 296 51560 192 51752 24 Nagaland 1 230 15598 16 15614 25 Odisha 481 6543 4921233 416 4921649 26 Puducherry 4 46 6791 46 6837 27 Punjab 16 1579 914496 4535 919031 28 Rajasthan 1893 5296 3006166 113654 3119820 29 Sikkim 26 156 55234 19 55253 30 TamilNadu 1533 6906 71079590 1748318 72827908 31 Telangana 954 5714 31790489 28774 31819263 DadraAndNagar 32 HaveliAnd 15 72 152094 64 152158 DamanAndDiu 33 Tripura 117 674 210788 155 210943 34 UttarPradesh 3948 18594 61096470 1836364 62932834 35 Uttarakhand 9 1075 568438 970005 1538443 36 WestBengal 67 10678 77082162 13241 77095403