The Hindu : National : A godsend for Sabarimala pilgrims

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 01, 2004

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National

A godsend for Sabarimala pilgrims

By M. Dinesh Varma

A patient undergoing treatment at the medical centre run at Pampa by the Kochi-based Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences.

PAMPA (KERALA), NOV. 30. For Sabarimala pilgrims who fall seriously ill during the arduous trek to the hill-shrine, the telemedicine centre at the base camp in Pampa is a godsend.

Operated for the third year running by the Kochi-based multi-speciality hospital, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), the unit is equipped for optimal emergency care. The ISRO-supported hook-up adds an extra dimension to the treatment.

Constant connection

Set up on an investment of Rs. 50 lakhs on space provided by the Travancore Devaswom Board, the centre is able to use the 384 kbps bandwidth provided by the ISRO to remain connected round-the-clock via the two-way video mode to the AIMS — located more than 200 km away. The link-up with ISRO's VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) network also facilitates transfer of diagnostic images on a "store and forward" or "live" basis.

Apart from a three-bed female ward and a seven-bed male ward, the three-storey centre has basic laboratory facilities, a three-bed casualty and a fully-equipped eight-bed Intensive Care Unit which includes an Echo machine, a ventilator and a defibrillator. A pharmacy has medicine stocks worth Rs. 15 lakhs. The AIMS spends around Rs. 25 lakhs every year to maintain the Pampa facility during the pilgrimage season.

Since its commissioning during 2002-03 the centre has treated thousands of patients free of cost, including cardiac patients and accident victims. At the height of the season, falling between mid-November and mid-January, out-patient admissions are between 600 and 700. An estimated 20,000 patients underwent treatment here during 2003 alone, said Prem Nair, medical director, AIMS. Ailments treated included acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, and bronchial asthma.

Cardiology unit

The AIMS uses two ambulances, one with a cardiology care unit, to shift patients, if required, for follow-up treatment to the general hospital in Pathanamthitta, the AIMS or other hospitals.

Prakash Kamath of the AIMS Cardiology Institute foresees a larger role for cardiology services in view of more patients developing chest pain during the climb to Sabarimala.

Life-saving facility

Doctors said in several instances the telemedicine link had proved to be a life-saving facility. In a typical case, a 35-year-old patient from Belgaum, who was brought in with severe breathing problems, was treated with instructions given over the telemedicine hook-up. The duty doctor followed the step-by-step guidance of a cardio-thoracic surgeon at AIMS Kochi to insert a chest tube using local anaesthesia.

A systems engineer with bio-medical background, a telemedicine technical coordinator and a medical coordinator are part of the AIMS telemedicine team.

The AIMS, founded by Mata Amritanandamayi, established the Pampa facility three years ago as an extension of its successful ISRO-backed telemedicine centres in various remote corners of the country. Since 2002, the AIMS is involved in 34 of the 80 telemedicine centres established by ISRO in the remote corners of the country, ranging from the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Kavaratti, Lakshadweep, to the Army Hospital in Leh.

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