Tele-evidence

Tele-evidence is a method to depose before various courts for evidence using videoconferencing. It is a telemedicine tool providing viable alternative to physical appearance of doctors for judicial summons. It reduces travel cost, saves doctor’s time and helps improving patient satisfaction at hospitals. It also reduces carbon footprints. The term was coined at the Department of Hospital Administration, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India.
Deposition of prisoners before courts from prisons using videoconferencing is an established practice, however doctors have to physically go to courts to depose as courts routinely summon doctors as expert witnesses to give their testimony in various medico-legal cases. In order to comply with the summons and to expedite the delivery of justice, doctors have to mandatorily appear in courts taking time out from their busy schedules in the hospital to commute to various courts. This not only affects the patient care in their respective health care centres/hospital but also is a regular huge drain on the state exchequer in terms of fuel expense and increased maintenance of the vehicle, besides increasing the carbon footprints. The Department of Hospital Administration, PGIMER with the help of Hon'ble High Court of Punjab and Haryana started Tele-evidence in 2014. Many other hospitals in India are now connecting with courts through Tele-evidence.
India's first Tele-evidence facility at PGIMER was formally inaugurated by Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India on 30 December 2015. In May 2016, he informed Rajya Sabha that the Govt. of India is actively considering expanding Tele-evidence to other hospitals across the country. Following this Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry also started a tele-evidence service in November 2016.
The Tele-evidence facility of PGIMER was awarded "SKOCH Order-of-Merit" for 2017 at the 47th SKOCH summit held in New Delhi. As per a comparative study of tele-evidence vs physical visits of doctors for the judicial summons done at Department of Hospital Administration, PGIMER, Tele-evidence saved around Rs 10,400 per court visit and reduced average hours per month spent in physical appearance for court summons by 37%.

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