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Narayana Hrudayalaya Telemedicine
No. 258/A, Bommasandra Industrial Area, Anekal Taluk,
Bangalore 560 099 |
Tel: 080 - 7835203
Fax: 080 - 7835206
abhay.singavi@hrudayalaya.com |
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| Methodology |
| In a country like India it is essential to acknowledge the fact that making healthcare accessible to all in its vast geographic, social –economic is difficult. Concrete steps in this direction needs to be taken by both government and private healthcare providers. |
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| Indian Space Research Organization has done pioneering work by partnering with leading healthcare providers, various state governments in making healthcare accessible in the rural and remote parts of the country. With the advent of communication technology especially the Satellite Communication (Sat-Com) combined with Information Technology, enables benefiting from the advanced medical sciences to reach even the remote and inaccessible areas. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) as a part of application of space technology for Health care and education, under GRAMSAT (rural satellite) programme, has initiated number of Telemedicine pilot projects which are very specific to the needs of development of the society. |
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| Integrated Telemedicine Tele-health Project is the first-of-its-kind initiative jointly sponsored by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Asia Heart Foundation in Kolkata and Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bangalore was initiated in 2001. With the inception of the program, it has been implemented in the remote areas of north eastern states of Tripura, Nagaland and in south Indian state of Karnataka in its tribal belt and now this has been extended to various parts of the world. |
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| ISRO’s satellite based Telemedicine network, which started in 2001 on an experimental basis has linked remote/rural district hospitals with super-specialty hospitals in major cities via INSAT. While ISRO provides the software, hardware and communication equipment as well as satellite bandwidth, the specialty hospitals provide the infrastructure, manpower and maintain the system. ISRO’s telemedicine network has matured into an operational system and now covers 332 hospitals - 299 remote/rural/district hospitals/health centers connected to 33 specialty hospitals located in major cities. |
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| Apart from ISRO’s telemedicine network association, Asia Heart Foundation and Narayana Hrudayalaya have initiated telemedicine activities with the help of high speed telephone connectivity or Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) connectivity to connect remote Intensive Care Units to provide critical care to cardiac patients admitted in government district level or sub-divisional hospitals in the remote areas of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and tribal belts of Karnataka. AHF & NH have created a network of 4-5 Intensive Care Units and 20 telemedicine centers providing 24 hour support in treating the patients and also rendering outpatient consultation in all available specialties. The organizations undertakes this mammoth task by identifying the remote locations with the help of state governments or a local partner, trains and employs local manpower like doctors, technicians, nurses to run the intensive care units or telemedicine centers with the help of the partner. |
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| AHF & NH have devised innovative ways and means to reduce the cost of installation of telemedicine without compromising on the quality of care. ISDN and telephone line connectivity is easily available from BSNL in very remote areas. Moreover, it enables in transfer of data and making video calls at very long distances with ease. Secondly, a good video-conferencing camera is available in the market from various manufacturers with lot of options. |
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| Expensive Telemedicine Software and high tech gadgets like digital cameras, online microscopes, medical scanners used in transfer and storage of medical data like X-Rays, CT Scans & MRIs can be eliminated in centres where there is no facility for a patient to access and undergo such high-tech examinations in the first place. Dr. Devi Shetty, renowned cardiac surgeon and Chairman, Asia Heart Foundation & Narayana Hrudayalaya as he rightly points out that “The beauty of telemedicine is that it makes ordinary people do extra-ordinary things”. He says that in his experience of practicing telemedicine in these many years has brought him face to face with situations where ordinary MBBS doctors and para-medics in district hospitals of Bankura and Siliguri in West Bengal, Chamrajnagar in Karnataka, Udaipur in Agartala have treated patients suffering with Myocardial Infarction, Ischemia, Unstable Anginas successfully with assistance from senior cardiologists in the hub hospitals in AHF, Kolkata and NH, Bangalore. Further he mentions that he himself and his colleagues conducts outpatient consultation to 100 patients over telemedicine from various remote centres every day free of cost. |
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