Telemedicine refers to the use of various telecommunications by the physicians and medical institutions that provide health care to their patients through electronic or digital means, way far in the patients’ homes or in other remote areas with the help of medical data transfer, still images, and live audio and video transmissions. “It ensures delivery of right medical advice at the right place and at right time”
Why is it needed?
• Non-availability of facilities locally.
• Non-availability of appropriate skills/technology locally.
• Huge money wasted in traveling and searching for appropriate healthcare.
• Huge population with inequitable distribution of resources.
• 70% of India’s population lives in rural areas whereas 75% of the qualified consultants practice in urban centers.
• Vast land area with difficult/inaccessible terrain.
• Seasonal isolation of some tracts of land e.g. due to floods, snow.
Telemedicine helps in
• Remote consultations and follow up
• Second opinion
• Joint interpretations
• Disease management through data mining
• Virtual patient visits
• Remote and Mentored Tele-Surgery
• Evidence Based Medicine
• Medical Training
• Medical Tourism
• Makes expertise available-anywhere
• Early institution of appropriate treatment
• Decreased need for transfers
• Effective utilization of transports
• Save costs to patient, provider, system
Entities involved in telemedicine
• Telemedicine Platform
• Telemedicine software
• Clinical devices
• Communication media
Our Telemedicine Setup
Continuing with the philosophy of “Affordable Quality Healthcare for All” the Telemedicine centre at Hinduja Hospital was launched in June 2007, to extend its healthcare delivery to the inaccessible, non affording and underprivileged social classes.
Facility Set Up at Hinduja Hospital
The set up comprises of an interactive video front with the voice output and polycom camera attached to a terminal for data transfer and net meetings, supported by ISDN and IP Lines.
What do we deliver?
• Online continuous Medical education for doctors of different medical specialties
• Teaching and Training of Students
• Expert advice in almost all medical specialties through video conferencing
• Complete report analysis by online transfer of reports
• Post operative and follow up consultants without traveling
• Tele-health campaigns at remote sites for different specialities
