Now the same country has taken a major decision that can transform its healthcare scenario in the coming years. It is true that Kingdom of Bhutan suffers from an acute shortage of medical specialists and this deficit is growing with the passing of years. In order to cope with this emerging crisis the Bhutan’s Ministry of Health has launched two telemedicine projects. What are the basic features of these projects? There shall be the presence of an expert from India who can diagnose and advise on a case of a critically ill Bhutanese patient— everything will be by means of the Internet and through videoconferencing.
The projects, SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Telemedicine Network and Bhutan Rural Telemedicine, were launched by Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley and the Indian ambassador to Bhutan, Sudhir Vyas, in the course of the ministry’s annual conference in Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital.
It is to be noted that for the real-time video conferencing there shall be the requirement of an Internet bandwidth of 384 kbps, while the rural telemedicine will use the existing infrastructure of dial-up Internet connectivity.
What has been the reaction of Bhutan’s Health Ministry? It is highly optimistic on account of this telemedicine innovation and also believes that this will advance the accessibility and quality of healthcare by harnessing ICT to a great extent.
Speaking on this, Gaki Tshering, Head of the ICT Unit at the Ministry of Health told, “Through telemedicine, doctors and specialists will be able to keep in touch with their peers and keep up with medical advancement in technologies.”
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Quelle/Source: Little About, 23.04.2009
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