eSanjeevani Crosses 50 Crore Teleconsultations
Why in News?
- The Union Health Ministry announced on 6 October 2026 that the eSanjeevani telemedicine service has crossed 50 crore teleconsultations.
- The service passed the mark on 15 September 2026, with 50,00,92,730 consultations across all 36 States and Union Territories.
- It now handles about 2.5 to 3 lakh consultations a day, and its highest single day was 6,30,315.
- Women account for 57.14 per cent of use, and 40.15 per cent of consultations are by people aged 46 years and above.
- eSanjeevani runs on a hub-and-spoke model and was developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing.
Key Terminologies
- eSanjeevani
- India's National Telemedicine Service, run by the Union Health Ministry. It offers free remote consultations, both patient-to-doctor and doctor-to-doctor.
- Hub-and-Spoke Model
- A health spoke, such as a village health centre, connects patients to a medical hub, where doctors give advice remotely. It lets scarce doctors serve many places.
- Ayushman Arogya Mandir
- The name of the health centres that serve as eSanjeevani spokes, where patients connect to remote doctors. The Ministry counts more than 1.42 lakh of them.
- Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission
- A national digital health network launched in September 2021. It links a person's health records to a 14-digit ABHA number, shared only with revocable consent.
Key Issues
- Thin Specialist Access: Specialist consultations have started only at AIIMS Jodhpur, Jammu and Patna. The Ministry's release of 6 October 2026 lists 901 online OPDs, against 1.42 lakh spokes.
- Light Daily Load: About 2.5 to 3 lakh daily consultations across 1.42 lakh spokes works out to roughly two a day per spoke. This suggests that many spokes are lightly used.
- Health Data Privacy: Teleconsultations create sensitive records. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 became fully operational only when its Rules were notified on 14 November 2025.
- AI Liability Gap: The new AI-powered Clinical Decision Support System helps providers, but the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines, issued on 25 March 2020, were framed before it. The release does not say how liability works.
Key Implications
Positive/Pros/Merits
- Wider Reach: The service covers all 36 States and Union Territories, and the Ministry calls it the world's largest telemedicine implementation in primary healthcare.
- Gender Access: Women are 57.14 per cent of users. This suggests that remote care lowers the travel and time costs that often keep women from clinics.
- Constitutional Duty: Article 47 makes improvement of public health a primary duty of the State. Remote specialist OPDs at AIIMS cut long-distance travel for patients.
- Home-Grown Technology: The platform was built by C-DAC Mohali and won the Gold Award at the National Awards for e-Governance 2026 for its AI decision-support tool.
Negative/Cons/Demerits
- State Subject Limits: Public health and hospitals fall in the State List of the Seventh Schedule, so uptake depends on how actively each State health department runs its spokes.
- Continuity Gap: A consultation helps only if records follow the patient. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission had linked over 104 crore records to over 93 crore ABHA accounts by 6 July 2026.
- Right To Health Care: Article 21 protects life. Teleconsultation cannot replace tests, procedures and emergency care, which suggests that links such as the one with ERSS-112 must keep growing.
- Platform Dependence: One platform has served 50,00,92,730 consultations, so any failure or breach would affect crores of patients.
Key Initiatives
- Telemedicine Practice Guidelines: The Health Ministry issued them on 25 March 2020. They cover consent, liability, medical records and privacy for remote practice.
- Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission: Launched in September 2021, it lets facilities share digital records through the patient's revocable, time-bound consent. It also keeps registries of health professionals and facilities.
- eSanjeevani Upgrades: The platform now has AI decision support, a link to the emergency number ERSS-112, and specialist OPDs at AIIMS Jodhpur, Jammu and Patna, with more institutions planned.
- DPDP Rules, 2025: The Government notified them on 14 November 2025, after 6,915 consultation inputs, to put the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 into full effect.
- World Health Organization: In May 2025, the World Health Assembly extended its Global Strategy on Digital Health to 2027 and asked for a new strategy for 2028 to 2033.
The Health Ministry says eSanjeevani is moving from primary care to specialist OPDs, and may extend them to other AIIMS, JIPMER and PGIMER Chandigarh. It is adding AI support and emergency linkage. Digital health records are handled separately by the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, under consent rules.
Director's Perspective
Way Forward
- Publish State-wise consultations per spoke every year, so that low-use States can be helped and spokes with weak connectivity or staffing can be fixed.
- Issue clear guidance on who is accountable when a provider follows AI decision-support advice, and update the 2020 Telemedicine Practice Guidelines accordingly.
- Link every eSanjeevani consultation to the patient's ABHA record by default, with consent, so that specialists see earlier history.
- Extend specialist OPDs from three AIIMS to State medical colleges, so that referrals stay within the State.
eSanjeevani is a strong but incomplete success. Crossing 50 crore consultations in all 36 States and Union Territories, with 57.14 per cent women users, shows that remote care can serve primary healthcare at scale. But specialist access is still limited to three AIIMS, usage per spoke looks light, and AI advice and health data need clearer accountability. In a Mains answer, credit the reach and the Article 47 duty, then conclude that its next test is quality, privacy and specialist access, not volume.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is eSanjeevani and how many consultations has it done?
eSanjeevani is India's National Telemedicine Service run by the Union Health Ministry. It crossed 50 crore teleconsultations on 15 September 2026, and the Ministry announced it on 6 October 2026.
Who uses eSanjeevani the most?
Women use eSanjeevani the most. According to the Union Health Ministry on 6 October 2026, women account for 57.14 per cent of consultations, and 40.15 per cent of consultations are by people aged 46 years and above.
Is eSanjeevani only for primary healthcare?
eSanjeevani began with primary healthcare through Ayushman Arogya Mandir spokes, but it now also offers specialist OPD consultations. The Health Ministry says these are available at AIIMS Jodhpur, AIIMS Jammu and AIIMS Patna, with more institutions planned.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 eSanjeevani is India's National Telemedicine Service, developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing.
The Health Ministry runs it, and C-DAC Mohali provided the technology and engineering support from the start.
2 The Constitution places public health and hospitals in the Union List of the Seventh Schedule.
Public health and sanitation, hospitals and dispensaries are in the State List. Article 47 still makes public health a primary duty of the State.
3 The Telemedicine Practice Guidelines were issued by the Government of India on 25 March 2020.
They cover consent, liability, medical records and privacy for remote practice.