How The COVID-19 Pandemic Sparked A Global Rise In Telehealth Adoption

According to the American Medical Association (AMA), fewer than 30% of physicians used telehealth services before COVID-19 (AMA, 2019).

On March 11, 2020, the world came to a standstill!

The World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. As soon as that was announced, it didn’t take weeks for our usual daily routines to be suspended.

Well, this made the workers vacate, schools had to shut their gates, and of course, the hospitals were most severely impacted.

It was so huge that there was a need to brace for a terrible onslaught. 

Honestly, in my opinion, this was probably the biggest challenge the health sector had faced since the time of the bubonic plague.

There was an urgent need for a new set of rules like social distancing, quarantine, and ultimately, a total lockdown.

Personally, I had it fair and square during those periods. But now imagine how hard it was for the hospitals.

These radical changes made it extremely difficult for patients to access urgent care.

It got so bad that hospitals had to focus mainly on admitting only suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Well, as the pandemic worsened, it became clear that a compromise had to be made.

Global health leaders realized that while COVID-19 cases were rising fast, there were still patients who needed ongoing care—those in palliative care, hospice, or managing chronic conditions.

So, a new approach was introduced: telehealth.

It became a real-life, practical solution for reaching patients without the need for physical contact.

The pressing need to always visit the hospital for consultations was eliminated, and while the media stayed busy covering the lockdown, healthcare quietly began to adopt virtual care.

It is widely said that drastic situations require drastic solutions, and amazingly, COVID-19 changed this narrative.

By April 2020, the use of telehealth services in the United States alone had increased by over 4,000% compared to the previous year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A similar pattern was seen across other countries. It became the perfect hotspot for investment, as major health corporations and governments rushed to set up digital platforms that could support video consultations and remote monitoring.

One corporation that seized this opportunity in Africa was Helium Health. They began offering telehealth modules and remote hospital management solutions during the lockdowns.

Others soon followed, even through small initiatives like daily mini broadcasts sharing COVID-19 case updates and informative data on preventive measures.

However, nothing great ever comes easy; this rapid shift also came with its challenges.

In rural and semi-urban areas, where many people lacked reliable internet connections or access to smartphones, it became difficult to reach everyone.

Despite these setbacks, the pandemic turned out to be a powerful catalyst for investments in digital infrastructure and health education.

The big question that followed was: as the world gradually reopened, would telehealth remain relevant after COVID-19?

But I guess the answer is pretty obvious — yes.

While the world has largely returned to normal and the restrictions have been lifted, physical visits remain essential for certain diagnoses and medical procedures.

However, it is clear that telehealth worked.

Now, governments and health systems are drafting permanent policies to support and regulate telehealth, with a strong emphasis on data security, quality standards, and equitable access.

The digital boom was inevitable, but it’s clear that the pandemic accelerated the world’s acceptance of this global revolution.

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