IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Dr. Minnis said the technology will also allow Family Islanders, in those instances where the determination is made to do so after a full assessment of their illnesses/injuries, to remain in their family island communities to receive treatment and care among their family members and friends.

Telemedicine may be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone, or as complex as using satellite technology and video-conferencing equipment to conduct a real-time consultation between medical specialists in two different countries. Telemedicine generally refers to the use of communications and information technologies for the delivery of clinical care.

Telemedicine Reference Centre Ltd (TRCL) has already signed agreements with around 25 Gulf and Malaysian companies that recruit workers from South Asia.

Telemedicine is a rapidly developing application of clinical medicine where medical information is transferred through the phone or the internet.

According to a new technical market research report, Global Markets for Telemedicine Technologies from BCC Research (www.bccresearch.com), the global telehome and telemedicine market was valued at almost $13.8 billion in 2012 and is expected to reach to $16.1 billion in 2013. BCC Research projects this market to grow to $35.1 billion by 2018, and register a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.9% from 2013 to 2018.

In the telemedicine system, patients with the payment of Tk 200 to Tk 300 get live consultancy about their disease through Digital Imaging and Communication in Telemedicine (DICOT) as well as Telemedicine Information, Management and Education System (TIMES).

At the end of consultation, the patients get printed prescription for buying medicine.

Lack of government initiative, clear policy, and investment has hindered the success of Bhutan’s telemedicine project, a possible solution that could have alleviated problems for rural patients, like high rate of referrals to regional hospitals, caused by the chronic shortage of medical specialists in the country.

The prime minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley and the Indian ambassador to Bhutan Sudhir Vyas inaugurated the projects - SAARC telemedicine and rural telemedicine - during the ministry’s annual conference in Thimphu.

Healthcare is transforming before our very eyes. Trends such as telehealth, Internet of Things (IoT)-based medical devices and remote surgery that makes use of state-of-the-art imaging equipment have put medicine at the cusp of innovation, and it’s all thanks to one breakthrough — 5G connectivity.

So-called telemedicine has existed for some years already, but seeing a doctor over the internet was far from common pre-COVID-19. The pandemic altered that, as health organizations began urging patients and staff to use emerging telehealth platforms to serve people. Adoption has accelerated across the world, and 5G is fueling that growth by providing the necessary cellular network availability, bandwidth and ease of deployment.

The Botswana Innovation Hub has launched a new TV white spaces (TVWS) pilot project.

Launched in collaboration with several partners - including Microsoft, the Botswana-UPenn Partnership (BUP), Global Broadband Solutions, Vista Life Sciences, BoFiNet, Adaptrum and USAID-NetHope - Project Kgolagano will provide internet connectivity and telemedicine services to local hospitals and clinics, which will enable access to specialised medicine in Gaborone and other locations around the world.

The network was jointly developed by a German telecommunication company, the University Hospital Charité of Berlin and a medical and information technology supplier in Teltow to monitor up to 500 high-risk patients with advanced chronic heart failure. The project will be funded with a total of €1.53 million from the economic stimulus package (Kojucturpaket II) and, thus, with subsidies from the German federal state and separate German states.

Die Gesundheitsregion Nordbrandenburg zählt mit dem FONTANE-Projekt (BMBF: GRDZ-46-105) zu den Gewinnern der 1. Runde im Wettbewerb des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung “Gesundheitsregion der Zukunft“ (www.bmbf.de/de/gesundheitsforschung.php).

Die Ministerin verwies darauf, dass Brandenburg aufgrund der demographischen Entwicklung und regional großen Unterschiede in der Bevölkerungsdichte vor großen Herausforderungen in der Sicherstellung der medizinischen Versorgung stehe. "Dazu müssen und werden wir auch neue Wege gehen, gemeinsam mit den Partnern im Gesundheitswesen, den Ärzten, Kassen, Versorgungseinrichtungen und Verbänden. Und wir brauchen dazu das Engagement und die innovativen Ideen der Wissenschaft", sagt die Ministerin.

Bewohner dünn besiedelter Regionen wie Uckermark und Prignitz müssen sich auf ein völlig verändertes Gesundheitssystem einstellen. In den kommenden Monaten soll eigens eine Agentur die Telemedizin im Land vorantreiben. "Die Menschen werden immer älter, der demografische Wandel ist voll im Gange", sagt Jürgen Waldheim, Vize-Vorsitzender des Vereins Telemed-Initiative Brandenburg.

Internet2 today announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa (RNP), the national research and education networking organization of Brazil, to facilitate international telehealth and telemedicine collaborations. The MOU builds on the organizations' existing long-term networking partnership that was established in 2000. The new MOU was made official today at a ceremony held in conjunction with the annual Internet2 Fall Member Meeting in San Diego, California.

Subramanian (name changed) from Rameswaram had blurry vision. The 68-year-old thought it would pass. But as he developed difficulty in recognising even familiar faces, he decided to seek medical help.

A visit to the telemedicine-enabled primary eye care centre set up by Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai in his small town gave Subramanian a new lease of life. An ophthalmic technician at Aravind performed a slit lamp examination on him. The data was then entered in an electronic medical record. “After consulting with the ophthalmologist from the base hospital using web conferencing, she dispensed him glasses,” says Dr. R. Kim, chief medical officer of Aravind Eye Hospital. “Today through telemedicine-enabled vision centres, we have a process to reach all those in need of eye care. We have currently 66 vision centres equipped with telemedicine facilities and about 1,800 patients are examined across these vision centres every day,'' he adds.

NHS savings of £1bn a year, a 40 per cent reduction in hospital admissions and improved patient care are some of the benefits promised by telemedicine, according to medical experts who describe it as the future of healthcare. Patients will benefit from faster life-saving treatments for a range of illnesses from strokes to diabetes, regardless of where they are.

Despite the revolutionary potential of telemedicine – the use of information and communication technology to assess, diagnose and monitor patients who are thousands of miles from a doctor or consultant – both here and abroad, Britain is failing to exploit the advantages, a new report warns.

Government of Canada announced the second round of projects in Ontario to receive funding approval through the Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians program, which will deliver important economic and social benefits, including telehealth, business opportunities and distance learning.

The following companies will receive the funding and are responsible for this wave of implementation: Galaxy Broadband Communications Inc., Spectrum Telecom Group Ltd., Blue Sky Economic Growth Corp., TBay Tel and Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre.