63 percent of Mexicans see telemedicine as the perfect solution for access to universal health. In addition, they are interested in resorting to this type of medical care, as revealed by the study “Telemedicine: challenges and alternatives in medical practice”, which has been carried out by the Center for Public Opinion of the Technological University of Mexico ( UNITEC).
The study indicated that “although 63 percent agree that this type of service would solve health coverage problems, only 32 percent agree that the Mexican population has technological resources to access health services.” telemedicine”.
In Mexico and Latin America, only 1 in 10 people have access to a doctor, a gap that telemedicine can help reduce. This is something that Omidres Pérez, president of the Iberoamerican Telehealth Association.
Technological evolution has had a strong impact on the health sector
What is clear is that, in Mexico, technological evolution has had an impact on different social sectors. One of them is the health sector, which, during the pandemic caused by COVID-19, needed to be strengthened and had to solve many areas of opportunity, and that is how telemedicine gained strength.
The WHO defines telemedicine as “the use of information technology to carry medical services from one place to another and over long distances”. This concept is complemented by distance learning, health services administration and patient monitoring.
Before COVID-19, online consultations were not the best option due to the little information that existed. But due to the pandemic, this solution found its way, later becoming a viable option for everyone.
The use of online consultations not only saves resources and time, but also guarantees that health services are accessible and universal and that is why telemedicine has gained a lot of strength lately. What has become clear is that online consultations have many advantages for patients, but also for doctors.
According to data provided by McKinsey, the value of this form of medicine is expected to increase to more than 600 billion dollars by the year 2024. This is because many doctors are going to opt for telemedicine to monitor patients, quick queries, interpretation of results, etc.
Advantages of telemedicine
The success of telemedicine has been due, fundamentally, to the fact that it offers a series of advantages, among which the following can be highlighted:
- Streamlines the consultation process to detect ailments and treat them at the best time.
- The economic side is very important, since it offers savings to its users, since they do not need to leave home to go to the doctor’s office.
- Also, online consultations have overcome endless barriers, thanks to the efforts of professionals and their efficiency, since they have improved their service using this resource and making their consultations online.