Date:21/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/21/stories/2008052156970500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Telemedicine to link district headquarters hospitals

Special Correspondent

Six districts have already implemented the scheme

“Telemedicine only affordable solution to health problems”
“Absenteeism in rural hospitals can’t be easily overcome”

CHENNAI: All district headquarters hospitals in the State will soon be connected to the Royapettah General Hospital through telemedicine, Health and Family Welfare Secretary V. K. Subburaj said on Tuesday.

Six districts that have implemented this scheme are performing satisfactorily, he said, addressing a conference on “Telemedicine: bridging the gap” organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry here.

K. Ganapathy, president of Apollo Telemedicine Networking Foundation, said telemedicine was the only affordable solution to the health problems facing the country. There was a severe dearth of health infrastructure, with a shortage of nearly 5 lakh doctors expected by 2012. Given that 75 per cent of health infrastructure is in urban India, whereas 75 per cent of the population lives in small towns and villages, it is virtually impossible to provide adequate health facilities to the rural poor, he said.

So, he suggested that the government provide telemedicine facilities because absenteeism in rural hospitals could not be easily overcome.

Viable model

C. R. Swaminathan, Deputy Chairman, CII Southern Region, said that though healthcare was a big business, there was a huge lacuna in the availability of healthcare professionals. So, it made sense to integrate technology with healthcare and provide a viable business model suitable to all segments.

Ron Emerson, chairman of the American Telemedicine Association Industry Council, spoke about the experience of telemedicine providers in the West. He quoted figures from a Canadian study that said telemedicine helped to save 579 km of travel per patient.