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eSanjeevani crosses 50 crore teleconsultations, adds AI support and ERSS-112 link

By CAShorts DeskPublished Source: PIB (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare), 6 October 2026

eSanjeevani crosses 50 crore teleconsultations, adds AI support and ERSS-112 link
Illustration (AI-generated)

India's National Telemedicine Service, eSanjeevani, crossed 50 crore teleconsultations on 15 September 2026 across all 36 States and Union Territories, the Health Ministry said on 6 October. Women accounted for 57.14% of use. Built by C-DAC Mohali, the platform has added an AI clinical decision support system, a link with ERSS-112 and specialist OPDs at three AIIMS.

Syllabus: GS3 · Science & Technology; GS2 · Health, Education & Human Resources; GS2 · Governance & e-Governance

Why it matters

A woman in a hill village with a lingering fever can walk to her nearest Ayushman Arogya Mandir, where a health worker connects her by video to a doctor at a district hospital; the e-prescription lets her collect medicines nearby instead of losing a day's wages on the road. That is why women and older people, for whom long trips are hardest, make up so much of the use. The new specialist OPDs at AIIMS bring the same help to follow-up visits that once meant long journeys and queues in tertiary care. The larger issue is Universal Health Coverage: doctors are concentrated in cities, and a government-owned digital platform lets the same specialists reach far more people.

Prelims pointers

  • eSanjeevani: National Telemedicine Service of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, launched in November 2019; developed by C-DAC, Mohali.
  • Two modes: provider-to-provider (doctor-to-doctor) on a hub-and-spoke model through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs; patient-to-doctor eSanjeevani OPD, launched in April 2020, used from home.
  • C-DAC: set up in 1988, the premier R&D organisation of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology; built India's PARAM supercomputers.
  • Ayushman Arogya Mandirs: the renamed Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (announced 2018); Sub Health Centres and PHCs upgraded for comprehensive primary care.
  • Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission: piloted in six Union Territories in August 2020, launched nationally on 27 September 2021; implemented by the National Health Authority.
  • Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA): a 14-digit health identifier that links a person's health records with consent.
  • ERSS-112: single pan-India emergency number of the Ministry of Home Affairs, funded from the Nirbhaya Fund; Himachal Pradesh was the first State (2018).
  • National Awards for e-Governance: given every year by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

Practise a UPSC-style question

Consider the following statements:

1. eSanjeevani, the National Telemedicine Service, was developed by the National Informatics Centre for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

2. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing is a research and development organisation of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 only
  2. (b) 2 only
  3. (c) Both 1 and 2
  4. (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show the answer

Answer: (b) 2 only

1 is incorrect: eSanjeevani was developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), with C-DAC Mohali providing end-to-end development and engineering since inception. 2 is correct: C-DAC, set up in 1988, is the premier research and development organisation of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

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