A 45-year-old man from a rural area dials the national telemedicine helpline 14567. He speaks to a doctor, receives medical advice, and is even given a prescription on call without visiting the hospital. This service is provided under which government initiative?

Appeared in: NORCET 9 Prelims-2025

Explanation

eSanjeevani is the Government of India's flagship national telemedicine service, specifically designed to provide healthcare access remotely.
The service allows patients, particularly those in rural and underserved areas, to connect with doctors for consultations and receive electronic prescriptions (e-prescriptions), as described in the scenario.
The helpline number and the service model align perfectly with the eSanjeevaniOPD (patient-to-doctor) platform, which aims to reduce the need for physical hospital visits for non-emergency care.

Option A: Nikshay Poshan Yojana is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme that provides financial assistance for the nutritional needs of tuberculosis (TB) patients. It is not a telemedicine service.
Option C: Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) is a program focused on maternal and child health. It provides free and cashless services to pregnant women for delivery and care for sick newborns.
Option D: Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) is a health insurance scheme. It provides financial protection against catastrophic health expenditure for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.

Visual 1: Flowchart - Illustrating the patient journey in an eSanjeevani teleconsultation, from registration and waiting in the virtual queue to the video consultation and receiving an e-prescription.
Visual 2: Infographic - A comparative chart of the four schemes (eSanjeevani, Nikshay Poshan Yojana, JSSK, PMJAY) highlighting their target beneficiary, service type, and main objective.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Knowledge of major Indian government healthcare initiatives to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Nurses play a vital role in patient education, guiding individuals in rural or underserved communities on how to access and utilize telemedicine services like eSanjeevani for non-emergency consultations and follow-ups.
By promoting telemedicine, nurses can help improve healthcare access, ensure continuity of care for chronic conditions, and reduce the burden on outpatient departments in hospitals.
What if? If the patient on the helpline reported symptoms of an acute emergency like severe chest pain or sudden weakness on one side of the body, the nurse's priority would be to advise calling an emergency ambulance service (e.g., 108) immediately. Telemedicine is not a substitute for emergency in-person care.

How to Approach the Question

Step 1: Analyze the core service described in the question stem. The key elements are 'telemedicine helpline,' 'doctor on call,' and 'prescription without visit.'
Step 2: Identify this service as tele-consultation or telemedicine.
Step 3: Evaluate each option based on its primary function.
Step 4: Match the described service (telemedicine) with the correct government initiative. The name 'eSanjeevani (Telemedicine Service)' is a direct and explicit match.
Step 5: Eliminate the other options by recalling their specific purposes: Nikshay Poshan Yojana (TB nutrition), JSSK (maternal/child health), and PMJAY (hospitalization insurance).

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Knowledge of major Indian government healthcare initiatives.
Stem keywords: telemedicine helpline, rural area, medical advice, prescription on call, government initiative
Lead-in keywords: which
Clinical cues: The key clue is the provision of medical advice and a prescription via a helpline without a physical visit, which is the definition of telemedicine.

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Practise the full NORCET 9 Prelims-2025

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.