Abstract Background Access to healthcare in mountainous and eco-sensitive regions remains constrained by physical and infrastructural barriers. Telemedicine offers a promising solution to bridge these gaps, with potential co-benefits in environmental sustainability and economic efficiency. Objective To evaluate the environmental and economic outcomes of telehealth interventions implemented across remote districts of Himachal Pradesh, India, from May 2022 to March 2024. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted using secondary data from 15,111 teleconsultations provided by AIIMS Bilaspur’s Centre for Digital Health. Variables such as CO2 emissions avoided, travel distance saved, travel time avoided, and cost savings were computed using GIS assisted mapping, standard carbon emission coefficients, and opportunity cost of time assumptions. The Carbon Social Cost (CSC) was used to estimate the monetary value of environmental benefits. Results Teleconsultations avoided over 3.7 million km of travel, preventing approximately 371 tons of CO2 emissions. Direct travel cost savings exceeded USD 111,000, while total economic savings surpassed USD 754,000. Approximately 5,560 person-days of travel time were preserved through reduced travel requirements. Strong positive correlations were observed between consultation volume and both environmental and economic benefits (r = 0.84–1.00), with remote districts such as Solan and Chamba demonstrating the highest climatic and time-saving benefits. Conclusion Telemedicine in Himachal Pradesh demonstrated significant environmental and economic returns, affirming its role as a climate-smart and sustainable healthcare strategy. Expanding such models with investments in digital infrastructure, community engagement, and policy integration could transform healthcare delivery in other ecologically fragile and underserved regions.
Kanwar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.