CM hails telemedicine in state breaching 7-cr mark
The Statesman | 18 November 2025
West Bengal has recorded another major milestone in public healthcare, with its telemedicine network crossing the milestone of seven crore consultations, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Monday.
The chief minister described the feat as a “milestone” for the state’s health services, particularly in rural and remote regions, where access to specialised care has historically been limited. Posting on X, Banerjee wrote that #SwasthyaIngit, a flagship Government of West Bengal initiative that digitally links village-level health centres with higher medical facilities, has emerged as one of the state’s most transformative public health interventions.
“Health care in West Bengal achieves yet another milestone. #SwasthyaIngit… crossed the 7 crores consultations landmark today,” she stated. The telemedicine platform, introduced in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, was conceived by the chief minister to ensure uninterrupted medical services during lockdowns. With routine hospital visits curtailed, teleconsultation became a crucial bridge between patients and doctors, especially in rural areas where physical access to healthcare was severely disrupted. Through video calls, patients could seek advice from doctors, receive prescriptions digitally and procure medicines without difficulty — a system that won wide appreciation from medical professionals. What began as a pandemic-era necessity has now evolved into one of the largest digital healthcare networks in the country.
According to government data shared by the Chief Minister, over 11,000 health and wellness centres across Bengal are currently connected to the service. These are supported by 63 telemedicine hubs at higher-level facilities, enabling a smooth referral chain. More than 9,000 doctors are actively involved in providing virtual consultations, assisted by 80,000 telemedicine facilitators and counsellors. The network now handles over 80,000 consultations daily, allowing patients in remote blocks to access specialist opinions from district and tertiary hospitals without travelling long distances.
Officials said this system has significantly reduced patient load at urban medical colleges and helped improve early diagnosis and treatment outcomes in backward areas.In her post, the Chief Minister congratulated doctors and frontline health workers for driving the initiative’s success. She said the state will continue to expand telemedicine services so that more people can benefit. “Day by day, this service will spread further and help many more,” Banerjee wrote. Healthcare experts note that Bengal’s telemedicine model, born out of the crisis, has now become an established part of the state’s public health infrastructure. With the pandemic behind, the service continues to operate robustly in rural belts, helping bridge longstanding gaps in accessibility and affordability.
Meanwhile, BJP IT cell in-charge and Bengal BJP’s co-observer Amit Malviya, challenged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s description of West Bengal’s Swasthya Ingit as a “unique” state initiative. Citing a 2023 case study by the National Health Authority (NHA), he alleged the platform has been integrated with the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission APIs and standards since August 2023.