Parliament He approved, last Tuesday (13), a bill authorizing telemedicine. The clinic is characterized by the relationship of distance between the doctor and the patient through communication technologies such as mobile phones, tablets and computers.
Not only consultations, but also remote surgeries with robotic equipment are allowed.
This procedure is necessary and brings Brazil into the long list of countries that already use this method regularly, such as Israel, USA, UK, Norway, Colombia and others.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the need to implement telemedicine became apparent, prompting MPs to approve Law No. 13989 of 2020, which authorized the practice on an urgent basis.
With it being a highly contagious disease, remote diagnostics and examinations have helped relieve hospitals and reduce the spread of the virus — a benefit still seen in treating other infectious diseases.
Additionally, a remote screening process is essential in a public health system that lacks facilities, professionals, and funds. Selection of patients who actually need the physical device for SUS provides improvement of service delivery and rational allocation of scarce resources.
As a country of continental proportions, Telemedicine can also help care for populations in rural and riverside areas Areas lack doctors, nurses and health equipment.
According to a survey by the Getulio Vargas Foundation, in 2019 there were 230 million smartphones in the country (in a world of 209 million people). However, it is necessary to improve the quality of the network (Wi-Fi, 4G, 5G) so that patients in remote areas can benefit from telemedicine.
Responsibility for regulation and inspection rests with the regional and federal councils of medicine, which must ensure patient protection and professional ethics. Universities and other health agencies also need to enhance the training of physicians for this type of work.
Finally, telemedicine cannot be used as an excuse for the government to stop promoting improvements in the SUS. This practice is just another in-service substitute for which the state has a constitutional duty to efficiently supply the population.
