Intelehealth
Intelehealth is a tech-for-impact organisation that works to deliver quality healthcare, including specialist care, where is it not accessible. Its team of engineers, clinicians and public health experts have developed an open-source telemedicine platform that is bridging healthcare gaps and extending vital services to underserved populations in India and Kyrgyzstan. Intelehealth’s reach is growing rapidly through partnerships to set up or enhance telehealth programmes with local government, NGOs and hospitals. Over 2.9 million teleconsultation and health service consultations were conducted in 2023 alone.
www.intelehealth.org | Partner since 2024
Challenge
India’s healthcare landscape has seen remarkable advancements, mostly in urban settings. Systemic challenges do however persist when it comes to ensuring high-quality healthcare, including specialist care, reaches the rural poor. This is especially so for women, who not only suffer from the limited availability of doctors and the long distances that need to be travelled, but also social norms that limit their ability to take independent decisions about their own healthcare.
Response
Intelehealth’s open-source telemedicine platform connects rural patients with urban doctors through virtual teleconsultations. These consultations can be unfiltered or facilitated by local frontline health workers – nurses based in clinics and health centres, as well as primary care workers in the patients’ villages. These health workers are equipped with a “smart digital assistant” integrated in their mobile phones that provides diagnostic and treatment support based on over 150 evidence-based protocols.
In India, where a flagship national teleconsultation service already exists (eSanjeevani), Intelehealth is providing support to help ensure its successful implementation, increasing the platform’s adoption by rural populations and health providers.
In Kyrgyzstan, the organisation is working with the government to launch its software nationwide and improve access to healthcare for hard-to-reach populations, targeting children with disabilities in particular.
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