Union Government launches 'Sehat' to provide healthcare facilities in rural areas

Union Government has launched a telemedicine initiative dubbed as Sehat to provide healthcare facilities in rural areas in collaboration with Apollo Hospitals.
This telemedicine initiative was launched by Union Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad at a function held in New Delhi.
Key facts

• It will seek to provide quality and affordable healthcare services as it is one of the emerging needs of citizens in rural areas.
• Under the Sehat initiative people will be able to consult doctors through video link i.e. Vice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and also order generic drugs.
• It will use Common Service Centres (CSCs) for delivering tele-consultation services with support from Medanta and Apollo Hospitals in some areas.
• CSCs will promote sale of generic drugs through collaboration with Union Health Ministry by setting up Jan Aushadhi Stores and also provide diagnostic services.
• This initiative has been extended to 60,000 centres across the country for the telemedicine consultation services in the rural areas.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2015