A routine antenatal screening at a primary health care centre in Manipur recently identified syphilis in a pregnant woman. What made the intervention significant was not simply the diagnosis, but the fact that a condition with potentially serious consequences for both mother and child was identified during routine care, allowing treatment to begin in time. This is where the real promise of digital health lies, not merely in making a doctor accessible remotely, but in helping the healthcare system recognise risk earlier and act before a health problem becomes a crisis.
India has made considerable progress in terms of improving digital access to health care. With teleconsultation patients do not have to rely on location or geography to speak to a specialist. The next step in terms of health should be more than just the consultation. A greater opportunity lies in creating a system that would determine risk levels, provide assistance and connect people to care throughout their treatment, especially in areas where distance, cost and availability affect health conditions.
This shift is especially important as India confronts the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer often develop silently, with patients seeking medical attention only after symptoms become difficult to ignore. Prevention, therefore, cannot remain confined to occasional health camps or hospital visits. It has to become part of routine primary health care, supported by screening, diagnostics, follow-ups and timely referrals.
Digital health can make this possible by turning the consultation into one part of a larger care pathway. Telemedicine can connect patients with doctors, while tele radiology and tele cardiology can extend specialised interpretation to locations where such expertise may not be physically available. Tele condition management can support patients after diagnosis, while connected devices and digitally enabled screening programmes can help health care teams identify changes in vital parameters before they become emergencies. Digital dispensaries, teleophthalmology, cancer screening and technology-enabled primary care models can further extend this continuum into communities.
{{/usCountry}}Digital health can make this possible by turning the consultation into one part of a larger care pathway. Telemedicine can connect patients with doctors, while tele radiology and tele cardiology can extend specialised interpretation to locations where such expertise may not be physically available. Tele condition management can support patients after diagnosis, while connected devices and digitally enabled screening programmes can help health care teams identify changes in vital parameters before they become emergencies. Digital dispensaries, teleophthalmology, cancer screening and technology-enabled primary care models can further extend this continuum into communities.
{{/usCountry}}The impact of such an approach becomes clearer when viewed at scale. In Odisha, a digitally enabled health care initiative has crossed one million teleconsultations while facilitating more than 200,000 diagnostic tests and over 20,000 referrals for specialised care. The significance of these numbers is not simply the volume of consultations delivered. It is the ability to connect consultation with diagnostics, medicines and escalation of care, creating a pathway that does not end when the video call ends.
The same principle applies to chronic disease management, where the consultation is only the beginning. The more difficult part begins afterwards: Taking medicines regularly, monitoring parameters, making lifestyle changes and recognising when the condition is deteriorating. Digital platforms can help healthcare teams maintain this connection through remote monitoring, scheduled follow-ups, health education and escalation protocols.
India is also developing the digital foundations required to make this model more effective. Platforms such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and ABHA are creating the basis for more connected health records and greater interoperability. When combined with appropriate consent frameworks and strong data governance, this can help move healthcare from fragmented encounters towards a more continuous understanding of an individual’s health journey.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will add another layer to this transformation, particularly in areas such as risk stratification, image interpretation and clinical decision support. The objective, however, should not be to automate health care for its own sake. Technology must help clinicians identify patterns earlier, prioritise high-risk patients and make better informed decisions while keeping clinical judgement and patient needs at the centre of care.
As for India, the real test of digital health will be determined by the outcomes on the ground.
The nation requires digital health systems that will function equally well in rural and urban areas, assist health workers in the field, provide testing facilities at the right time, and ensure proper channels to higher levels of care if needed. While hospitals will always be critical in handling complex and serious situations, digital health can help patients reach them at the proper time instead of after their medical problem has progressed. The ultimate measure of digital health should consequently not be how many people are brought into a consultation. It should be how early disease is identified, how effectively people remain connected to care and, most importantly, how many serious complications can be prevented. If digital health can make health care more anticipatory rather than reactive, it can become more than an access solution. It can become one of the most important enablers of a prevention-first health care system for India.
(The views expressed are personal)
This article is authored by Dr Vikram Thaploo, CEO, Apollo TeleHealth.