“While it is an irrefutable fact that online counselling happens to be a compulsion sometimes and somewhere in pressing circumstances but situational compulsions are not always there for the people to seek online counselling from doctors in both Government and private hospitals.”
Though online counselling was allowed both at Government and private hospital only during the high intensity covid-19 pandemic periods only to reduce the intensity of the spread of the deadly virus but unfortunately it has changed into a routine practice only to increase the health risks of the patients in Jammu & Kashmir. Despite knowing that without physical examination the doctors can’t judge the ailments and their intensity the doctors in Jammu & Kashmir allow online counselling to patients for their conveniences. Though people themselves seek the accessibility to online counselling but ultimately it is for the doctors to provide online counselling to patients or flatly deny them the accessibility to online counselling with the intentions of not allowing the health complication occur and re-occur again and again. While it is an irrefutable fact that online counselling happens to be a compulsion sometimes and somewhere in pressing circumstances but situational compulsions are not always there for the people to seek online counselling from doctors in both Government and private hospitals. The people themselves have to understand that though digital interventions are good for easing their accessibility to key public services but it also a fact that while digital interventions are advisable for public conveniences in most of the situations, they also become cause for vulnerability to health risks for the people in some situations. Ultimately the digital interventions are to be sought with proper application of mind for physical and mental conveniences of all sorts and more in case of pressing health issues more prevalent in Jammu & Kashmir than other parts of the country. As far as the facility of online counselling of patients at both Government and private hospitals is concerned it is for the doctors to explain it to the people that the facility is a need based but not a routine affair.
Taking a lenient view of this bad trend set by people themselves and also allowed by doctors at both private and Government hospital could become the cause for surge in critical health issues in Jammu & Kashmir. So before the online counselling becomes a cause for surge in critical health issues and even loss of lives in Jammu & Kashmir it is better if health & medical education department is advised to launch a public awareness campaign on the facility of online counselling with doctors at both Government and private hospitals.
As people have set a bad trend of seeking online counselling just to risk their health, the onus lies on the Jammu & Kashmir Government’s Health Department to carry out a public awareness campaign on this issue for the health safety of people in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. Taking a lenient view of this bad trend set by people themselves and also allowed by doctors at both private and Government hospital could become the cause for surge in critical health issues in Jammu & Kashmir. So before the online counselling becomes a cause for surge in critical health issues and even loss of lives in Jammu & Kashmir it is better if health & medical education department is advised to launch a public awareness campaign on the facility of online counselling with doctors at both Government and private hospitals.
