Telemedicine in India: current scenario and the future.

India, with its diverse landmass and huge population, is an ideal setting for telemedicine. Telemedicine activities were started in 1999. The Indian Space Research Organization has been deploying a SATCOM-based telemedicine network across the country since that year. Various government agencies-Department of Information Technology and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, state governments, premier medical and technical institutions of India-have taken initiatives with the aim to provide quality healthcare facilities to the rural and remote parts of the country. The Government of India has planned and implemented various national-level projects and also extended telemedicine services to South Asian and African countries. Efforts are taking place in the field of medical e-learning by establishing digital medical libraries. Some institutions that are actively involved in telemedicine activities have started curriculum and noncurriculum telemedicine training programs. To support telemedicine activities within the country, the Department of Information Technology has defined the Standards for Telemedicine Systems and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has constituted the National Telemedicine Task Force. There are various government and private telemedicine solution providers and a few societies and associations actively engaged to create awareness about telemedicine within the country. With its large medical and IT manpower and expertise in these areas, India holds great promise and has emerged as a leader in the field of telemedicine.