Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal today formally inaugurated the rural telemedicine centre and SAARC telemedicine centre at Patan Hospital.
PM Nepal said the innovation has broken the distance barrier and increased public’s access to health facilities.
Telemedicine would help improve healthcare facilities that would help decrease healthcare burden of bigger health centres. said the prime minister.
The government has formally launched a rural telemedicine programme in 25 districts. Addressing the inauguration programme, Nepal said a large population with limited access to medical care live in the rural regions while most of the healthcare experts and physicians are urban-centric. “In a country like ours, where there are remote and underdeveloped places with limited access by road and poor infrastructure, telemedicine will be an alternative for treating people,” said PM Nepal.
Dr Mingmar Gyelzen Sherpa, national focal person for telemedicine and director at Logistics Management Division under the Ministry of Health, said remote places lack specialists and through this technique, specialists can provide services to the unreachable population. He added that through the new technology, healthcare facilities would reach out to a wider population and claimed around 80 per cent of the treatment can be done through the service.
“Surgeries and complex examinations are difficult, but common diseases can be diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. And follow-up treatment is made easier by this technology,” added Sherpa.
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood said India was happy to establish the SAARC telemedicine centre that extends medical care and access to medical specialists to people in the remote and rural areas. “Telemedicine technology also offers training and educational benefits to medical professionals at reduced costs,” added Sood.
The SAARC telemedicine centre has been established with the assistance of around NRs 4.88 Crores from the Government of India under the SAARC telemedicine network project.
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Quelle/Source: The Himalayan Times, 22.01.2011
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