Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Against the background of the coronavirus pandemic in Russia, the telemedicine market is dynamically developing, which has become one of the most promising segments for investment.

The average annual growth rate of telemedicine in the next 5 years will be about 116%. In 2019, the volume of the Russian telemedicine market is estimated at 1.5 billion rubles, and by 2025 it may grow more than 60 times, reaching 96 billion rubles. Telemedicine services are attracting a lot of attention from private clinics and insurance companies, gradually becoming a mandatory service.

The growing popularity of the telemedicine market is due to the following factors.

First, consulting services are available anywhere in the country where there is Internet access.

Second, the cost of services for a patient with a remote consultation is 20% lower than when contacting a specialist offline.

Third, telemedicine saves time and reduces transport costs. Patients from the regions have remote access to the services of highly qualified specialists.

The increased demand for remote medical consultations also revealed the weaknesses of the telemedicine system existing in Russia.

1) Not everyone in need can use the remote service. Currently, 95% of medical organizations have access to the Internet.

2) Not all doctors are ready to provide such services. Some of them struggled to cope with the influx of telepatients.

Nevertheless, in Russia, measures are being taken to increase the demand for telemedicine, including through the organization of online consultations with the country's best specialists in a narrow field and consultations with foreign doctors.

In general, experts note that in the coming years the telemedicine market will gradually grow, telemedicine services will penetrate into various online services and applications, which, in turn, requires improving the regulatory framework and support mechanisms for this area.