August 28 2003

This article examines new technology that will potentially bring medical care to people in need in remote parts of India. Recently, physicians participated in a conference on telemedicine to discuss the possibilities.

Tele-surgery and robotic surgery, these physicians think, can help surgeons in remote areas provide better care. Specifically, a surgeon could consult with colleagues in a larger city such as Chennai during an operation. "The city of Chennai has more cardiologists than the whole of India's northeastern region put together," according to one participant. Delhi-based cardiologist Anil Saxena said tele-cardiology would mean less cost and inconvenience for patients who currently have to travel long distances for treatment. Further, "Speed is of essence in cardiology..." Doctors also say they would like to engage in tele-education through video conferencing and formation of discussion groups. One physician says he holds tele-talks every week to refresh the knowledge of doctors and communities in rural areas.

Both tele-surgery and robotic surgery are in their early phases of development in India (one expert quoted in the article predicts that it will take approximately a decade before the technologies are widely available). However, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has already set up 28 centres for tele-conferencing, and is planning another 150 centres over the next year.

According to one senior surgeon, the set-up for operations between two centres using robotic surgery is estimated to cost $1 million. He urged the government to support such endeavours, saying, "You are not just going to conduct a single operation. As you increase the number of operations it will become cost effective".

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Source

Article forwarded to the bytesforall_readers list server on August 28 2003 (click here to access the archives).