The “Telemedicine & Primary Health Care Initiative” brings affordable primary healthcare to rural communities in Narsinghpur District through telemedicine, enabling villagers to consult qualified doctors remotely and receive early diagnosis and treatment closer to home.

The Sukarma Foundation implemented the Telemedicine & Primary Health Care Initiative to address the limited access to healthcare faced by rural communities in Narsinghpur District, Madhya Pradesh. For many villagers, medical facilities are located several hours away, making travel expensive and often delaying treatment until illnesses become more serious. The project established a Telemedicine and Primary Health Care Center that connects rural patients with qualified medical specialists through secure video consultations. A trained local nurse conducts the initial assessment, including checking vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate, before connecting the patient with a doctor remotely. The center has already provided healthcare services to more than 8,000 patients from Mehragaon and surrounding areas. By bringing primary healthcare closer to the community, the initiative has helped patients receive earlier diagnosis and treatment while reducing the time and financial burden associated with traveling to distant hospitals. The project also serves as a training hub for local nurses, helping them develop skills in using digital diagnostic tools and telemedicine technology. This strengthens local healthcare capacity and improves the community's preparedness to respond to health needs. The initiative particularly benefits vulnerable residents such as elderly people and young children, who can now access medical consultations locally rather than making long journeys for basic healthcare. The project also plans to expand its services to include advanced screenings, including breast health diagnostics. By combining local healthcare workers with digital access to medical specialists, the project is helping bridge the rural healthcare gap and making quality primary healthcare more accessible to underserved communities.