Apollo initiates telehealth courses

CHENNAI: Anna University and Apollo Telemedicine Networking Foundation (ATNF), a non-profit organization of the Apollo Hospitals group, have entered into a tie-up whereby they would be offering Telehealth Technology Course from September 1, 2003 at the Anna University Campus. This happens to be the first formal course of its kind in Asia.

Prior to this, Anna University had entered into a partnership with ATNF to provide Tele-health service at the 240 Engineering Colleges in Tamilnadu.

According to Apollo Hospitals VP and Director (Telemedicine) Dr. T Varghese George, "Today though the awareness level in Telemedicine might be low, but it is the fastest growing area in the healthcare industry. The emerging technology has bridged the gap between the urban and the rural. So no major healthcare provider can do without the Tele-health services, since it is a healthcare delivery tool. The only thing lacking are properly trained people to handle the equipment. So the telemedicine course is targeted at fulfilling that requirement."

The Telehealth Technology Course will address two aspects — Technical and the Medical and Business Aspects. The faculty from Anna University will handle the technical aspects whereas, the medical and business aspects will be taken care of by the faculty from Apollo Hospitals.

The course will be available in three batches annually, and being a pilot project it will accommodate only 30 seats per batch. "Currently, Apollo has a requirement of 30 Telemedicine specialists. The first batch is likely to be absorbed fully into Apollo," added Dr. Varghese.

The Center for Professional Development Education is handling the course in Anna University. The course will cost Rs 10,000 per private candidate, Rs 20,000 for institution/sponsored candidates and $ 750 for overseas candidates. The duration of the course is four weeks and it is available online too.

In yet another move, whereby ATNF is going to make a significant presence in the defense field through telemedicine, it has linked seven hospitals in the ATKKG (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Goa) Command Area with the Command headquarters in Chennai.

These have been done through ISDN links. "Here telemedicine will be used for second opinion of super specialist in effective and emergency cases. The military organizations have the manpower but they need specific training for which we have sponsored seats in the Telehealth Technology Course," said Dr. Varghese.

Simultaneously, hospitals coming under the Eastern Command will be linked to the Lucknow military hospital in two months’ time. Indian Navy in Port Blair has INHS (Indian Navy Hospital Services) — Dhanavatri, which will also be linked, to the military hospital in Chennai. "Gradually we will expand to all other military commands. Technically, we are at par with the West. The cheapest mode of communication would be IP-based but, we still lag behind in reaching out to the remote villages since the cost of leased line is still very high," noted Dr. Varghese.

(CNS)