Thanks to mobile apps and the app-based on-demand services we now can order everything and get them delivered at our doorsteps whenever we want and wherever we want. The recent Covid-19 pandemic further pushed for the popularity of on-demand services as most people all over the globe had to live indoors in the past few months.
Can there be anything better than getting your medicines delivered at your doorstep and being able to consult doctors through a mobile app? Yes, this is no longer a promise but a reality made possible by the on-demand telemedicine apps. While many healthcare facilities are now joining hands with mobile app development company to step into the booming on-demand telemedicine market, having a solid understanding of the scope of such apps in various countries and the development challenges is important.
Let us explain here the definition, benefits, expanding market opportunities, and the key development steps for building telemedicine apps.
What is a Telemedicine Application?
Telemedicine or Telehealth refers to a digital healthcare practice allowing efficient evaluation, patient diagnosis, and medication of patients through online apps. The principal motto of these apps to help patients receive healthcare without being physically present at the healthcare facilities.
**Market Opportunities of Telemedicine Apps **
As for market opportunities, existing healthcare facilities and hospitals through telemedicine apps can expand their reach to patients and create more revenue earning opportunities. Since patients can reduce their cost of treatment and hassle through remote treatment and healthcare facilities can lower their burden of patients at medical facilities, telemedicine apps are going to play a major role in the future of healthcare.
Keeping these huge market opportunities in mind many healthcare facilities and establishments are now targeting telemedicine services. According to MarketWatch statistics, the global market for telehealth solutions is destined to reach a whopping $16.7 billion by the year 2025. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for telemedicine services has gone up several times than before as people are finding contactless medical consultation and delivery of medicines as safer options to avert the contagion. According to the Statista estimate, before the pandemic, the global telemedicine market was destined to reach $175.5 billion by the year 2026. Obviously, the same estimate now will overwhelm even the positive expectations.
**Booming Telemedicine Market in India **
As one of the most populous countries with poor coverage of healthcare facilities, the Indian market always presents a great opportunity for telemedicine services. On top of this, the unprepared-for COVID-19 pandemic in the country created the most challenging situation for both the public healthcare and private medical facilities.
Since the panic surrounding the community transmission of the contagion prevented most people from visiting hospitals, outdoor facilities, and clinics for different severe health problems and chronic diseases, the overwhelming demand and need of telemedicine services have been felt by the Indian population more than ever before.
At present only a handful of telemedicine services are operating all over the country covering partially the major cities. Naturally, more than a hundred million of people are still left outside of the coverage of telemedicine services. Only a few startups like DocPrime, mFine, CallHealth, Practo, and Lybrate are now offering telemedicine services and remain accessible by a negligible population living in big cities.
Among the many challenges, a complete absence of comprehensive regulations and a regulatory body looking after the entire sector is a major one. A few telemedicine startups that are working to make healthcare accessible to Indian patients suffer from the grey area of regulations that they need to address while providing services.
Since the semi-affluent Indian middle class is the fastest-growing consumer class in the world with an increasing rate of lifestyle diseases, they emerge as the natural market for telemedicine apps. After the Coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdown, the public panic over the spread of the virus is likely to stay part of the Indian psyche in cities. This is why telemedicine apps and services are now having a literally gold-mine of opportunities in India now.
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