The Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, announced on October 13 that the state government would float tenders to set up virtual multi-speciality clinics at the primary health centers (PHCs) in the city.

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A note released by the Deputy Chief Minister's office claimed that this would be a fully-integrated tele-health platform which would provide seamless data integration of real-time patient data with enhanced analytics that assists in a more comprehensive approach to more effectively and efficiently manage patients. Speaking to reporters after a high-level meeting with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the Deputy Chief Minister said that this facility would enable patients to avail the services of specialist doctors in addition to the existing services available in the PHCs.

He added that the new facility would help reduce over 60 percent in bed days, admissions and costs. "The new facility will lead to nearly 90 percent decrease in emergency department use by congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and diabetic patients," he claimed. The note added that the disciplines covered under this scheme include cardiology, dermatology, general medicine, otorhinology, ENT, ophthalmology, immunology, rheumatology, pediatrics, psychiatry, general surgery and orthopediatrics.

The Deputy Chief Minister added that this facility will have the features of a care community and family doctor (customised). "App and voice (Bot) based appointment scheduling, consultancy on video and chat, remote diagnostics and monitoring would be part of the programme," he said. The Deputy Chief Minister said that as per the proposed model, any patient could walk into the PHCs and get registered by providing Aadhaar card for authentication. "Following this, the digital clinic centre would connect the patient with the concerned specialist doctor. Patients can seek help in procedures like diagnostics, doctor's examination, and also get prescriptions without waiting in lengthy queues," the minister explained. He added that it has been decided to launch this facility in one PHC from each Assembly constituency on a pilot basis to study its efficacy.