Global Health Asia-Pacific September 2020 September 2020 | Page 72

Column
The post-COVID-19 era:
Teleconsultations are here to stay
Dr Rashid Khan argues the pandemic will spur greater use of telemedicine in healthcare
Given all the
benefits of
telemedicine,
it would be
a shame if
all these
changes occur
only for the
current crisis
and do not
become part
of long-term
healthcare
solutions.
Many life-transforming events have occurred
over the last three short months, most
tragically the thousands of lives lost across
the world. Life in China is gradually returning to normal
after months of lockdown, but other nations around
the globe are scrambling to fight and contain the lethal
virus. While human life has been upended, one cannot
deny that COVID-19 has also had some positive
impacts.
COVID-19 is the game changer in the healthcare
system
Due to the virulence of COVID-19, the traditional way
of treating patients face to face would be detrimental if
healthcare providers did not take proper precautions.
Overnight, teleconsultations have become a lifesaving
tool for healthcare providers. Doctors who
were not keen on them before are now suddenly
getting a crash course in how they work! The Malaysia
Medical Council (MMC) issued an advisory to address
the increasing demand for teleconsultations among
its doctors. Within a month, several apps using this
technology mushroomed to take advantage of the
current crisis. Private hospitals and GP clinics have
had no choice but to adapt and offer telemedicine as
part of their service.
Given all the benefits of telemedicine, it would be a
shame if all these changes occur only for the current
crisis and do not become part of long-term healthcare
solutions.
Digitalised medical tourism is now unavoidable
Three years ago, in June 2017, I had this idea called
MH4U (Malaysia Healthcare for You) while working in
the medical tourism sector. It’s a B-C teleconsultation
project specifically for international patients who
wish to travel for specific medical treatments.
Unfortunately, there was no urgent need for it at
the time. Today, however, in the wake of COVID-19,
medical tourism companies and private hospitals are
relying on telemedicine services to retain and consult
with their patients living overseas who are no longer
able to travel to Malaysia for treatment.
Due to the current financial crisis and travel
restrictions, overseas patients are now keen to get
second opinions via teleconsultations and only
travel for definite treatment. Even before COVID-19,
Thailand’s international hospitals, like Bumrungrad
Hospital and Bangkok Dusit Medical Services
(BDMS), placed most of their doctors on standby
for telemedicine appointments for both local and
overseas patients as a way to cut down on medical
costs and attract new patients.
Use of telemedicine for mental health a “new
normal”
The current coronavirus pandemic will have a lasting
effect on most of us. In Malaysia, people have been
forced to confine at home for extended periods under
the government’s Movement Control Order (MCO).
Nearly two million Malaysians have lost their jobs.
According to JobStreet country manager Gan Bock
Herm, 35 percent of Malaysians have experienced a
more than 30 percent pay cut during the MCO period.
This has led to a dramatic increase in depression and
anxiety cases for which the country is unprepared
due to a serious shortage of registered psychiatrists,
as measured by WHO requirements. On top of that,
Malaysia continues to face a huge discrepancy in
the geographical distribution of psychiatrists. People
living in larger, urban states have better access to
mental health care, while smaller states face a severe
shortage of psychiatrists.
Teleconsultation or telepsychiatry could improve
access to mental health care in rural, remote, and
underserved areas. Patients would be able to engage
with their psychiatric doctors at their convenience.
Telepsychiatry could also break the social stigma that
presents a significant barrier to care seekers.
“The prejudice and discrimination of mental illness
are as disabling as the illness itself. It undermines
people attaining their personal goals and dissuades
them from pursuing effective treatments,” says
psychological scientist Dr Patrick W. Corrigan of the
Illinois Institute of Technology.
asdf
70 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2020 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific.com