The World Health Organization in collaboration with Intelehealth, launched the first of a 13-part webinar series titled ‘Telemedicine in Action: Transforming Healthcare for LMICs’. The series aims to strengthen telemedicine as a key enabler of universal health coverage, promoting equitable and sustainable healthcare access for all. The series is designed for a broad audience, including ministries of health, NGOs, medical professionals, and hospitals working in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The inaugural webinar, ‘What is Telemedicine and How Are Health Systems Using It Globally? A Primer for Health System Leaders,’ highlighted telemedicine's transformative potential in healthcare delivery. The session brought together global experts, policymakers, and healthcare professionals to explore how telemedicine is enhancing access, improving efficiency, and boosting outcomes in healthcare systems worldwide.
Opening the session, Dr Karthik Adapa, Regional Adviser for Digital Health, WHO South-East Asia Regional Office, highlighted the critical role of telemedicine in advancing healthcare accessibility, particularly in resource-constrained settings. “Telemedicine has emerged as a transformative approach to healthcare service delivery, offering innovative solutions to improve accessibility, efficiency, and quality of care. As we navigate the evolving landscape of digital health, it's imperative that we systematically assess, adapt and advance telemedicine frameworks to enhance equitable and sustainable healthcare access,” he said.
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The webinar series, a joint initiative of WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO) and Intelehealth, aims to provide healthcare leaders with practical insights into integrating telemedicine into national and sub-national public health systems. The series offers a structured curriculum to build capacity on telemedicine.
Showcasing diverse experiences
The session featured expert presentations from healthcare leaders across the Region. Dr Gumindu Kulatunga, Consultant at the Health Information Unit, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, spoke about the rapid digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In Sri Lanka the main attraction of telemedicine research is [addressing] stigma associated with diseases such as STDs and psychiatric conditions,” said Dr Gumindu Kulatunga. He added, “Due to lack of specified telemedicine related applications, and the laws and legislations to control applications, we had to develop more guidelines. We had national guidelines and standards. We had the policies, but and the latest add-on was a digital group in the architecture, which came in play one year back. There was no telemedicine specific guide, so we had to develop it. Last year, it was sponsored by WHO and we were able to make it and publish it last year,”
Dr Kulatunga also highlighted Sri Lanka’s ongoing efforts to develop a National Health Record (NHR) system, which enables seamless data sharing from home-based care to healthcare providers. “This part is necessary to condition of care as well so as reduce cost because otherwise tests will have to be duplicated and there will be data duplication,” he explained.
Emphasizing that telemedicine does not require significant financial investment to initiate, Dr Vinay Bothra, Health Policy Advisor, WHO Timor-Leste said, “Telemedicine isn’t expensive. With a modest injection of resources, we can get it moving,” he added, “We’ve also developed Terms of Reference (TOR) for a steering committee and a technical working group to begin discussions on the modalities of rolling out telemedicine.”
One of the key themes that emerged during the discussion was the importance of building trust. Dr Bothra also highlighted the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technology in healthcare. “Artificial Intelligence and the digital revolution is moving at the speed of a bullet train while the health sector moves at the speed of trust. Many patients still prefer to have a face-to-face consultation with the health worker rather than talking to a television screen. So how do we start building that trust.”
Mr Madhukar Kumar Bhagat, Joint Secretary of e-Health, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India, highlighted the success of the India’s eSanjeevani telemedicine platform, which has surpassed 350 million treatments, averaging almost 400 000 consultations every day. He underscored the role of telemedicine in improving equitable access to healthcare, particularly for women. He noted that 56% of telemedicine users in India are women, reflecting a significant shift in accessibility. In rural areas, where many women previously faced challenges in traveling long distances for minor ailments, telemedicine now enables them to seek care more easily. They can visit the nearest primary health centre, consult a doctor remotely, and receive timely treatment, improving overall healthcare access.
Global collaboration and learning
The webinar highlighted the importance of learning from diverse global experiences and applying these lessons to local contexts. “The goal of this webinar series is to ensure that health system leaders understand how to incorporate telemedicine into national and sub-national public health systems,” said Dr Neha Verma, Co-founder and CEO of Intelehealth.
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Dr Verma also emphasized the importance of clinical guidelines which play a crucial role in deciding when a consultation needs to be in person or via telemedicine. “At the end of the day, it is healthcare providers who decide when to have a consultation in person and when not to. And again, this is the clinical protocols and clinical guidelines or standard treatment guidelines for telemedicine come into play…That is why clinical guidelines are very important. There is a lot of evidence on which health issues are successfully managed over telemedicine,” she said.
This first webinar set the stage for future sessions that will delve into telemedicine implementation strategies, workforce training, regulatory considerations, and emerging innovations such as artificial intelligence in healthcare. The series aims to create a robust knowledge-sharing platform that supports WHO’s broader mission of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and improving health outcomes for all.
(Online consultation with a doctor in Maldives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo credit: WHO / Ibrahim Asad)
A long-term vision for healthcare transformation
The webinar series is part of a broader effort by WHO SEARO to support countries in adopting evidence-based digital health strategies. The sessions will offer guidance on everything from building a telemedicine-ready workforce to understanding the policy frameworks necessary for safe and effective telemedicine practices.
As the series progresses, WHO SEARO and Intelehealth will provide participants with tools and resources, including recorded sessions and a packaged online course, to ensure the knowledge gained is both actionable and sustainable. The initiative aligns with WHO’s Regional Roadmap for Results and Resilience (ROADMAP), contributing to health system strengthening and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).