Current status, challenges and future potential of implementing occupational telehealth services in Indian industries

Abstract

India is undergoing rapid industrial expansion, resulting in a growing workforce exposed to diverse occupational hazards, including musculoskeletal disorders, lung diseases, accidents, and high levels of work-related stress. Telehealth has emerged as a promising strategy to improve access to specialist care; however, its role in occupational health within Indian industries remains poorly understood. A narrative review was conducted to synthesise available evidence on the status, challenges, and future potential of telehealth in occupational health care in India. A comprehensive literature search was performed across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for English-language publications from 2000 to 2025. Peer-reviewed articles and grey literature, including government reports and policy documents, were included. The review identified a marked paucity of India-specific evidence on tele-occupational health implementation. While national platforms such as e-Sanjeevani demonstrate large-scale telemedicine feasibility, occupational health–specific applications are rarely documented or evaluated. Major barriers include digital infrastructure gaps, low digital literacy, data privacy concerns, medico-legal uncertainties, and a shortage of trained occupational health professionals, with training largely limited to short-term programs such as the AFIH course. Provider-level resistance and inadequate ICT training further impede adoption. Nevertheless, opportunities exist through integration with national digital health systems (ABDM), hybrid service delivery models, workforce capacity building, and assisted telemedicine facilitation at workplaces. Tele-occupational health holds significant potential to improve access, continuity of care, and productivity for India’s industrial workforce. Strengthening occupational health training, improving digital readiness, and generating India-specific implementation research are critical to realising scalable and effective tele-occupational health services.