Planning National Telemedicine and Health Hotline Services: A Toolkit for Service Providers Working with Governments
Abstract
For many low- and middle-income countries, digital health solutions are the best way to increase community access to health information and health care. This became even more apparent during the coronavirus pandemic, when countries with low health-care-worker-to-population ratios--and large populations that do not live close to a health center--needed better ways for their citizens to access health services. In many countries, telemedicine and health hotline services have played an important role in filling access gaps, which can present private sector providers with opportunities for growth. When the private sector and government work together it can lead to major advances in health services that reach more communities. However, just because a solution is impactful does not mean it will be sustainable. To ensure any solution sustains impact at scale, it is important for the government to lead it from the beginning, and eventually regulate, and perhaps own, the solution even if it outsources all, or parts, of it to service providers. This toolkit is designed for software or call center service providers interested in working with government to establish nationwide telemedicine or health hotline services.
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“World Bank. 2023. Planning National Telemedicine and Health Hotline Services: A Toolkit for Service Providers Working with Governments. International Development in Practice;. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/39465 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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This toolkit focuses on health hotlines and telemedicine, specifically on the telemedicine systems used for primary care services, rather than those for specialized care such as tele-dermatology, tele-oncology, and others. This toolkit will outline the multi-phased approach needed to set up a health hotline or telemedicine service at a national scale while providing tools that can be used to, for example, cost out and design the system, contract service providers, or engage mobile network operators.Publication Republic of Uruguay Integrated National Health System : Analysis of the Governability of the SNIS Benefit Plan(Washington, DC, 2012-11)Today the health reform in Uruguay is a mature, ongoing process in which major progress has been consolidated. 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