Getting on the telemedicine bandwagon
While everyone is rushing into tech to build the next big social media or food-discover app, Med-tech is a booming business with major implications. With the increase in life expectancy and growing economic affluence, there will be a strong demand and supply for quality healthcare in Asia.
Yet across the continent’s vast populations and diverse geographies, medical infrastructure is not growing fast enough. Access to medicine and healthcare, even for city dwellers, is not that straightforward for about 2 billion people in the region. This is where telemedicine comes in – to connect everyone to quality and affordable healthcare.
The future is gray
It is estimated that for Singapore in the year 2050, it will have over 25% of it’s population be above the age of 65 years old. For Japan, the number is approximated at 38%. Modern medicine has lengthened the average lifespan (97 years for women and 92 years for men), however, the public upkeep entails more facilities and funds than what’s available.
In the first 10 years of the 21st century, urbanization saw over 200 million people move into Asia’s cities, and it is but the tip of the iceberg. With decades more of this trend, expect to see longer queues everywhere for food, shelter, transport and healthcare.
Even now public and private clinics / hospitals are overwhelmed with patients – there just simply isn’t enough time or room for everyone. In tiny waiting rooms everywhere, patients are likely to feel sicker waiting for hours to get treated for a fever or cold.
Not only is the headcount of staff low, so are the years of experience of most healthcare workers. Being overworked and chronically under-appreciated, the attrition rate amongst medical workers are amongst the highest. So there is a double whammy of having dwindling amounts and inexperienced workers taking care of increasing numbers of patients.
How can telemedicine help?
Through the miracle of the Internet and smartphones, patients at home or work or in the hills can communicate with doctors anywhere and everywhere. Just by making a phone call or a video call, doctors can examine patients, offer medical advice, prescribe medication and even issue medical certifications for sick leave instantly.
It is an obvious draw for those who live in far-flung locations, where seeing a doctor can mean a day of travelling. In the city, immobile patients can save the hassle of being transported for a routine checkup. Busy individuals can benefit from not lining up for hours and continuing with their packed schedules.
Also, because of the ease of use of telemedicine services, in non-emergencies, family members or domestic maids can take care of the patients’ daily maintenance. This lessens the strain on the healthcare system.
The solution to the situation is already here
This is a necessary evolution to help medical staff work more efficiently and empower patients to be more responsible for their own health. Also, it is the only way to ensure future generations to be able to manage the inevitable weight of their ageing dependants.
It is already commonly accepted that everything from paying bills to chatting a loan officer to ordering medication can be done online. Thus, with telemedicine, it will be a simple progression to speaking to a doctor about your cough online as well.
In 2013 Justin founded RingMD, a healthcare communications platform designed to bring access to quality and affordable healthcare to everyone. He first started programming at age 7 and created his first software company at age 13.
Category: Health alert, Top Story
