Telemedicine is a system where medical information is transferred via telephone, the Internet or other networks.
Through the initiative, patients can receive medical care ranging from cardiac assessment to dermatology to acute illnesses.
"With the proliferation and fusion of information, telecommunications and medical technologies, we can bring advanced healthcare services to people in remote geographies with compassion, efficiency and affordability," said Dan Pelino, General Manager, IBM Global Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry.
The partnership includes Wateen Telecom, Motorola Inc, Medweb Inc, USAID, the US Department of Defense Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Centre, the Pakistani Government, and Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi and District Headquarters Hospital in Attock.
The team has helped to broaden and strengthen technical capabilities at a "hub" or a central coordinating hospital located at the Holy Family Hospital in the northern city of Rawalpindi, Punjab Province, with the "spoke" hospital with limited resources in District Attock.
Telemedicine enables health care providers to deliver high quality medical services to patients care that would otherwise be lacking or absent in remote locations, IBM said.
The partnership combines an Internet-access portal providing interactive collaboration tools such as secure email, voice and video conferencing on a secure telemedicine network with advanced medical peripheral device
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Quelle/Source: The Hindu, 09.10.2008
