Use of telehealth services among Nepali living overseas during Covid-19 pandemic: The opportunities, limitations, lessons learned and recommendations.



Sapkota, Sanjeeb, Adhikari, Prabhat, Sah, Sunil, Bhattarai, Sarita, Shrestha, Shiva Prasad, Poudel, Sagar, Sharma, Hem Raj ORCID: 0000-0003-0456-6258, Maleku, Kabin and Simkhada, Padam
(2022) Use of telehealth services among Nepali living overseas during Covid-19 pandemic: The opportunities, limitations, lessons learned and recommendations. Journal of oral biology and craniofacial research, 12 (2). pp. 299-301.

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Abstract

There are estimated over 8 million Nepali migrants spread across various countries around the globe. Though the majority of them enjoy good health in general, a large proportion of them suffer from non-communicable diseases, mental health issues and communicable diseases. Telemedicine services, which are organized by Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), have been proven to be effective in addressing some of the health and medical needs of the migrant Nepali workers. The purpose of this study is to assess the use of tele-health services among Nepali migrant population and examine the limitations. During the pandemic period from March 2020 through August 2021, Nepali in different countries utilized telehealth services. Mental health issues, chronic diseases, skin diseases were the most common ailments people sought telehealth services for. Many of them sought for urgent medical consultations related to Covid-19 symptoms and ailments. Digital gap, lack of cross-border regulations and unwillingness to utilize telemedicine were the challenges the service faced in the optimal utilization of such services. Training and education, use of easy Apps and subsidies from the government would help in the long-term use and sustainability of telehealth services amongst the Nepali migrants.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Abroad, Migrants, Nepali, Tele Health
Divisions: Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Physical Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 22 Jul 2022 14:57
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 20:55
DOI: 10.1016/j.jobcr.2021.12.001
Open Access URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC86746...
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3159197