Telemedicine service to be launched in ten dists

BERHAMPUR: In a bid to provide health service at doorsteps, measures have been initiated to provide telemedicine service in 10 districts.  The service is being provided at MKCG Medical for last six years, but it was confined only to doctors who are using it to consult experts in the country and outside.

According to Prof R.N.Mangual, in charge of telemedicine centre in MKCG, the centre, headquartered in Pune, has been linked with important medical centres across the country. Through the service, the doctors can not only consult experts on how to treat a critical patient but also know about the latest treatment procedures. At present, a few patients in rural areas can afford to spend money to avail treatment in some of the best hospitals. Even many critical patients die due to want of treatment. However the telemedicine facility, scheduled to be put in place in district health offices of Ganjam, Kandhamal, Boudh, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Malkangiri, Koraput, Jeypore and Nayagarh districts, would provide treatment facility to people in their respective areas, said a senior official of Health Department.  Each centre would have a microscope, ECG and scanner besides other infrastructure and for the purpose Rs 5.25 crore has been sanctioned under National Rural Health Mission(NRHM), said the official.  The centres would be connected with the MKCG centre since the hospital is the referral hospital for the southern region, said Prof Mangual. Meanwhile, a four-member team of DCL Software Company and C-Dak Company of Pune have started visiting the district health centres to assess the infrastructure. The centres would function within a month, said the official.