Telemedicine is an innovative concept that circumvents geography and the non-availability of trained medical personnel to offer immediate medical treatment and knowledge long distance. Narayana Hrudayalaya Healthcity uses advanced telecommunications to administer affordable healthcare with speed and quality to large volumes of patients in distant areas in India, areas that often lack even basic medical facilities. With the same technology, it also shares medical expertise and information with other countries, which include Malaysia, Mauritius, and several sub-Saharan nations.
Comprehensive medical solutions for emergencies, quick and accurate diagnoses and efficient patient care are the hallmarks of our telemedicine programme. Coronary care units and telemedicine centres in rural sectors are linked to our hospitals. Senior specialists sitting in tertiary centres guide paramedics and general physicians in remote areas to conduct screenings and stabilise critical patients. Free out-patient consultation is offered from afar to hundreds of patients each day through the network. Satellite connectivity is provided free of cost by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and high speed telephone or Integrated Services Digital Network connectivity is also used.
Telemedicine diagnoses are often the first point of contact with overseas patients entering our International Outreach Programme, and the technology is subsequently useful for follow-up consultations once they are back in their home countries post-treatment.
Over the years, the telemedicine facility has grown to the following numbers:
- ISRO network covers 332 hospitals – 299 remote/rural/district hospitals/health centers connected to 33 specialty hospitals located in major cities
- Narayana Hrudayalaya has created a network of 4-5 Intensive Care Units and 20 telemedicine centers providing 24 hour support to patients
- Treated over 53,000 patients over the past 10 years
- Connected to patients in Malaysia, Tanzania, Nigeria, Burundi, Zambia, and Bangladesh
- Over 550 CME programmes conducted in the past 5 years
Services offered by our Telemedicine Department
Tele-Consultation
Patient requiring specialist consultation in any remote center can interact directly with the specialists through video conferencing. Videoconferencing facility allows two or more individuals to interact at two different locations by using audio and video support using digital communications link also one can transfer all the medical records.
Narayana Hrudayalaya earns the honor of treating over 30,000 patients making it World’s largest Telemedicine network running the world’s largest Tele-cardiology programme.
TT ECG
308 centers, not only in India, but from all parts of the world are a part of our TT ECG network. The organizations have started an innovative venture by developing indigenous software to transmit ECGs with the help of Trans Telephonic ECG Machines. These TT ECG machines are distributed free of cost to General Practitioners. These GPs who find difficulty in assessing ECGs utilize the service free of cost by transferring the ECG to the hub hospitals in Bangalore and Kolkata.
CME – Tele-Education
We have used the telemedicine facility to conduct academic teaching / training sessions. Two base hospitals with facilities of telemedicine link up were established in June 2001. Having established the telemedicine network, the same facility was used to conduct teaching programmes.
Hrudaya Post
All the District Head Post offices Karnataka (25 in number) have been connected to Narayana Hrudayalaya through internet and software applications. A patient with medical reports could always walk in any District head PO with his medical reports hand it over to the postal staff for uploading the documents may it be paper documents, ECG or an Angiogram. They would receive the analyzed reports within 24 hrs which would be handed over the counter or delivered to the doorstep of the patient by post. The services charges of the Postal Department vary from Rs.100 to Rs.125 depending on the number of documents and the post charges would be charged extra.
