India has less than one doctor per 1,000, while rural people hardly get expert treatment.
Picture for representational purpose only.
Chennai: Though people in rural areas get access to general physicians, patients have to commute all the way from their places to districts or cities when it comes to consulting specialists. WHO data says that India has less than one physician per 1,000 people and the rural population suffers the most.
“The concept of telemedicine is to provide teleconsultation to remote areas and for those who do not have access to super specialty hospitals,” says Dr K. Selvakumar, professor and head, department of neurosurgery and chairman- telemedicine, Sri Ramachandra University and Hospital.
The basic investigation, ultrasound scan and ECG are sent to specialists to get their opinions. “Images are transferred real time and within three minutes, the ECG is transferred and specialists suggest whether the person needs further treatment or not,” he adds.
With the increasing use of smart phones, health experts solve problems through teleconsultation by using electronic and communication technologies without distance limitations.
As foreigners throng the state for medical treatment, follow up is done with the help of telemedicine. “The technology we use should be suitable for our needs and should be cost effective.
Healthcare can be delivered to about 95 per cent of patients by listening to history and by simple clinical examination,” says Prof. K. Ganapathy, president, Apollo Telemedicine Networking Foundation and past president of the Telemedicine Society of India. The basic technology required is a good web cam and software, and teleconsultation is possible even with smart phones as these have mega pixel cameras.
“What we need the most is saving medical records so that they are easily accessed by patients and we need awareness about teleconsultation. In the US, insurance companies reimburse teleconsultation. We need proper telemedicine laws in India so that it’s regulated properly,” says Ganapathy.
At a recent conference of the Telemedicine Society of India in Jaipur, the appointment of nodal officers for telemedicine in every state was discussed. Apart from teleconsultation, telemedicine is used in continuing medical education where doctors and
students from anywhere can connect and discuss rare surgeries and the latest technology, adds Dr Selva kumar.
Next: PHCs set to get access to mentors
PHCs set to get access to mentors
Chennai: General physicians or paramedical staff in primary health centres can, during an emergency or when requiring specialist consultation, contact mentors in districts who will then provide them the advice they need. This facility, though available for many years, has been a haphazard one.
“We are planning to launch the mentor programme in a more stable way with the help of 104,” said a senior health official. Whenever doctors in PHCs need to consult specialists in Chennai for surgery, medicine or obstetricians, gynaecologists and pediatricians, they can do so by calling 104 from GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) that also manages the 108 service.
“We’re testing 104 on a pilot basis and it will be launched anytime soon. The health helpline will have three components — information, advice and grievance. If someone has fever, he /she can seek out a health professional. Based on the person’s need, calls will be transferred to doctors. 104 will be a one-stop point for healthcare needs,” said B. Prabhudoss, regional manager for GVK EMRI. He added that doctors could also contact specialists by dialling 104. “It will take some time as we are planning to introduce various services in a phased manner,” he added.
Tamil Nadu has nearly 1,636 PHCs and 416 mobile teams, and each team conducts 40 health camps per month. “We are increasing the number of PHCs, but during emergencies, these doctors have to contact specialists. Once in a month on Thursday, we do video-conferencing where specialists discuss the latest challenges in health. Recently, we discussed fluid management,” said an official.
Teleophthalmology benefits 50K people
Teleophthalmology benefits 50K people
Chennai: Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, which started telemedicine in 2001 through video consultation, receives around 700 patients a day. The hospital has started about 42 ‘vision centres’ which serve 50,000 people. M. Nagendra Babu, telemedicine officer at the hospital, says vision centres offer primary eye care services with the help of a trained ophthalmic technician at an affordable cost.
A centre is connected to the base hospital, where the ophthalmologist is available, through internet services to enable direct patient consultation with him. “The vision centre is manned by a trained technician who does the basic examination. Patients interact with the doctor via software, called Maratech. Also the patient can interact with the doctor at the base hospital via web cam and mic.
The patients are asked to visit the base hospital if surgery is required. The hospital uses Radvision that connects about 12 endpoints and other desktops. “The cost of Radvision is Rs25 lakh and the endpoints about Rs 30 lakhs for six units. If a patient and attendant visit the hospital, the average cost for transport alone comes to Rs 350, but if they visit the nearest centre it would cost them only Rs 120,” Babu explains.
To control diabetic retinopathy, the hospital has developed a Reading and Grading centre, using software, called Adres. “This enables the specialist to read and grade images, captured by a non-mydriatic fundus camera, and acts as an interface between the referring doctor, known as ‘client’, and the specialist, ‘the provider’. The client end is installed at the rural hospital, diabetic centres and mobile van, and the provider end at the Reading and Grading centre at Aravind Eye Hospital,” he says.
Dr Sheila John, who heads the teleopthalmology department at Sankara Nethralaya, says that the hospital, together with IIT Madras, developed a mobile cataract unit. “We have been doing cataract surgeries in remote areas since March 2013. While it’s not possible for doctors to visit villages every day, this service has enabled a greater number of patients to consult them,” she says, adding that over four lakh people have been benefited, both in Tamil Nadu and Kolkata, through teleopthalmology.
( Source : dc )
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