Telemedicine helps close distances as well as the gaps between the demand and supply of health services in all corners of the globe. We take a closer look at the concept.

A 16-year-old boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo lost his left arm. When Dr David Nott, a volunteer with the charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres, found him in a hospital in the town of Rutshuru in October 2008, he realised that the boy wouldn’t make it unless prompt action was taken.

The wound had become badly infected and gangrenous. The only way the boy could be saved was by amputating his shoulder, or more specifically, removing his collar bone and shoulder blade. Although Dr Nott lacked the expertise to perform this complex operation, he knew of a colleague in the UK who could guide him.

Telemedicine in its simplest form

Dr Nott text messaged his colleague asking for instructions. Almost immediately, he received a message detailing the entire procedure step-by-step. Still, he took a day to mull over whether he should go ahead—it was a bold step to take as he would be working in a very basic operating theatre with just one pint of blood for transfusion, sans the support of an intensive care unit for post-operative care. Eventually, he took the plunge, as the boy’s life depended on it. Fortunately, the surgery was successful and when the international media reported this news in December 2008, the boy was well on the way to making a miraculous recovery.

This case represents the simplest form of telemedicine. As Abhimanyu Gupta, director, Actis Technologies opines, “Telemedicine is the delivery of medical care at a distance. A broad term, {quotes}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 consultation sessions (in real time) between medical specialists in two or more geographically dispersed locations.{/quotes}”

Tailormade for India

Cut across to India’s remote hinterland and telemedicine is just as relevant as it is in Congo. Although about 70 per cent of India’s one billion plus population lives in rural India, 70 per cent of its medical community has opted to dwell in cities where both the work environment and the general living conditions are better. As a result, not only are medical facilities concentrated in urban areas, but these are also scarce. There is only one hospital bed available for every 1,333 Indians, and one doctor for 15,500 people. Only 9 per cent of our one billion people are covered under health schemes.

Added to this is the difficulty and cost involved in rural folk travelling to cities for medical care, the consequent over-crowding of health amenities in cities, and you have all the makings of chaos and discontent in the healthcare sector!

Telemedicine could save the day. Healthcare providers are increasingly becoming aware of telemedicine as a means to deliver healthcare across India’s vast geographical spread, thus eliminating the costs, hassles and time lag in people receiving healthcare.