A successful model of a Private-Public Partnership in increasing accessibility to critical care services in low-resource settings through tele-ICU

In India, the dearth of critical care expertise is more pronounced in rural regions, and tele-ICU models have been associated with high costs and low acceptability. Private-public partnerships (PPPs) in India are a potential solution for improved healthcare delivery, although its establishment is challenging. Cloudphysician (CP), a private tele-ICU network, used adaptable, low-cost technology and collaborated with 14 Indian government hospitals (4 states) to provide critical care services in remote areas amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Between June 2020-December 2021, 487 ICU beds were added (0.6% increase from estimated 2020 baseline) in 3 phases. Ramanagara district (8.06 beds per 100,000) and Ladakh state (2.57 beds per 100,0000) demonstrated the highest district-wise and state-wise impact respectively. Totally, 4514 admissions were treated (Leh recorded 112 admissions per 100,000), including 25% non-COVID-19 patients. Thus, this PPP demonstrates a successful model of increasing healthcare delivery to remote areas using a tele-ICU system and effective partnership strategies.