The Hindu Business Line : Telemedicine meet to focus on cheaper healthcare

AN international meet on telemedicine to be organised by ISRO here next month aims to drive home the need for bringing affordable health closer — via space — to those living in remote and rural areas.

The meet to be held from March 17-19 will be the first comprehensive look at issues related to technology, equipment, connectivity, satellite-based tele-consultancy for the poor and delivery models, the ISRO Chairman, Mr G. Madhavan Nair, announced on Saturday. Intelemedindia 2005 will have `Telemedicine for global health care' as its theme and is expected to have over 500 delegates.

It aims to showcase satellite-based technology as an effective healthcare delivery tool in remote places, besides educate and provide a single forum for hospitals, doctors, NGOs, equipment suppliers, technologists and medical and engineering institutions.

Besides the Department of Space and the Aeronautical Society of India, seven Central ministries, departments and agencies are involved in hosting the meet: Health and Family Welfare, Rural Development, IT, Telecommunication, Science and Technology, Atomic Energy and DRDO.

Mr Nair, who is also Secretary, Department of Space, said over the last 2-3 years, ISRO was spearheading a satellite-based telemedicine programme in the country. ISRO had invested Rs 10 crore so far towards connectivity, basic equipment and training and linked early 80 remote district hospitals, including in Leh, the North-East, Port Blair and Chamarajanagar near Mysore to 21 super-specialty hospitals - among them are Apollo Hospital, Narayana Hrudayalaya, AIIMS, PGI Lucknow, SRMC of Chennai and Amrutha Institute of Kochi using connectivity from INSAT satellites.

ISRO's condition is that the private hospitals should offer patients free consultation and surgery at Government hospital rates.

Apart from the public-private tie-up, Mr Nair said ISRO was also exploring two other delivery models. One was through the village resource centres with Government providing the terminal; "The commercial model is possible and is yet to evolve.

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