Many people are exploring their options during the covid-19 pandemic and telemedicine is the new trend. Medical institutions have decided to include several options for residents to support social distancing practices.

The growing interest in telemedicine was brought into light by Dr. Mishal Al Kasimi, who spoke to Khaleej Times about it. The doctor is the CEO of Capital Health Group and Health Shield Medical Center. He said that the practice will see more growth in the coming days and it all started since the announcement of lockdown last year in the wake of Covid-19.

While talking to the media house, the doctor said that he agrees that the sudden announcement of lockdown and the covid-19, in general, was a shock for the healthcare systems but that also prepared the departments to respond more rapidly. He explained the procedure of telemedicine saying that it is a provision offered by the medical care through a distance. This process includes all forms of telecommunication technology.

It can range from telephones or virtual meetings and this has way more advantages than physical healthcare visitations. Till covid arrived, these facilities were hugely underutilized but now, people are seeking more and more ways to use this method. “The Covid-19 pandemic has changed that and we are noticing an increase in the acceptance of telemedicine technology,” the doctor added.

He elaborated on the benefits of telemedicine and showed tremendous confidence in the process as he explained that through telemedicine the medicines could be more readily available to patients who are facing problems due to distance. Distance is a huge challenge for many and those who struggle with rehabilitation and disabilities can have it easy with telemedicine.

“As such, telemedicine provides better confidentiality for patients who may not want to be seen at the clinic or hospital, and it also provides family members living in scattered locations around the globe the opportunity to participate in their loved one’s care and recovery process,” he further elaborated.

Many other experts have already pointed out that telemedicine is not a new concept and rather it has been going on since before the coronavirus pandemic. Al Kasimi was of no different view. He emphasized the concept is now gaining much more popularity especially in countries where people prioritize convenience, experience, and technology.

One of the research units Aetna International has revealed that in the coming days 54 percent of residents in the UAE are likely to use virtual healthcare services to access primary healthcare. This is 14 percent higher than the global average. The UAE is hoping to digitize all health records and unify all of them in just one database by next year.

When it comes to UAE residents using telehealth services, data from vHealth showed a 500 percent increase in utilization between March and September 2020, compared to the same period last year. Joe Hawayek, the senior director and head of vHealth MEA, also said that coronavirus has accelerated the adoption of such methods but even before that, people were showing confidence in services like vHealth.

“You only have to look at our customer satisfaction scores to realize that those who have tried it are going to use it more and more in the future,” he said while talking to Khaleej Times.

Al Kasimi noted that even though the pandemic has disrupted the whole world, it has also helped authorities cross all barriers to extending the services. With more advanced AI and more data availability, there is a greater possibility of services reaching people. He added that there are more and more people coming to the health officials who are willing to participate in telemedicine and virtual healthcare systems these days.

The ministry of health and prevention is also keen on accelerating its quality of services offering telemedicine. This is being done with an aim to ensure the safety of the community members and also to reduce risk factors. MoHAP has been working on more than one way to help patients communicate to the relevant doctors regarding their issues and it ranges from electronic links to patients' phones reminding them of appointments.