Nepal: Need of Digitalization in Health Sector
There were time in the early days that when the stethoscope was the most technological and advanced instrument with doctors. Since then clinical science have come a long way, with many remarkable researches and breakthroughs that have made impossible surgery techniques possible. Technologies had helped health workers in controlling and eradicating epidemics and other deadly diseases (as of current situation COVID-19) and also have improved in patient care facilities of hospitals. The transformational power of technology and its adoption in the healthcare sector has helped people lead longer, healthier lives. In current times, health system is undergoing a digital revolution worldwide and so in low and middle income countries like Nepal which is intensively effecting to all health sector individually. Digital technology when applied to medicine has the potential and has been expected in improving the standard of living, enabling smarter choices that save time, effort and money, but growing cost of medical expenses together with time and travel constraints for that digital platforms like Electronic Medical Records (EMR), E-Pharmacy and Video Consultations comes to play for better approach to healthcare. Unlike conventional care practices, this can actually improve the medical journey of a patient ensuring a seamless experience.
Availability of budget Smartphone in Nepal (targeting people with low income—which is high ratio of the country’s population) and availability of affordable internet access has encouraged people of all age groups to get digitalized and know technology in one click. Techs/software/applications available free of cost on the internet are helping the people to take advantage of virtual health services.
EMR is still not widely practiced in Nepal as only a few hospitals use EMRs as still all the information of patients are paper based instead of computerized. All the hospital be it private or government must have websites with EMR systems where patients can upload and save their medical history, and share with their doctor during a need (online consultation).
Online Consultations not widely practiced in Nepal but can be valuable bridge factor for patients and doctors. This online access to doctors can save time for visit to hospitals, which can also be highly advantageous for people on a time constraint like working patients, businessman and also senior citizens, can get medical assistance without having to make an effort by leaving the comforts of their homes. Video consultation can be helpful for people with especially diseases which society consider taboo like infertility, sexual disorders and psychiatric problems. Most of the patients are hesitant to seek proper medical care due to inhibitions of visiting a doctor. Here can video/online consultation be helpful to remove these inhibitions where patients can openly discuss their health issues in the privacy of their homes. Patients living in smaller towns can also share their medical reports with doctors and consult with doctors in bigger or developed cities where they consider high quality of health facility.
Online Pharmacies–with the growing need and demand for services that deliver right at your doorstep, the time may be for them to take a front lead. Especially old patients who find it difficult to take regular trips to local pharmacies, online pharmacies can be able to fulfill their medicine requirement without having them to leave their homes. This entire process should also ensure the drug authenticity, drug security in order to avoid drug misuse as it can be serious issue. [Drug Abuse amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: A Dark Side of Online Pharmacy, Ayush Chandra, et.al. DOI: 10.31487/j.DDA.2010.01.01, follow this article to better understand Drug Abuse and online pharmacy].
The healthcare industry should change on some sectors like health facilities for aging population, medical expenses, health insurances, etc. Authorities must pave the way for digitalization with innovative virtual health technologies and facilities, that seek out to make healthcare a better for patients worldwide thinking of Low-income population. Hence, Digitalization has been stood as a need for current era in Nepal.
(Ayush Chandra, MBBS, Tianjin Medical University, China/Aashish Chandra, Bachelors in Electronics & Communication Engineering, Tribhuwan University, Nepal/)