AFRO-NETS> Telemedicine Information

[Fatima Suleman <fatima@healthlink.org.za>]

Telemedicine Information
------------------------

Hello, everyone.

Health Systems Trust publishes a monthly newsletter called UPDATE, 
which is also accessible via the internet. This month's issue deals 
with Telemedicine. The full contents can be viewed at: 
http://www.hst.org.za

A summarised version follows: 

Technology has developed in leaps and bounds in the last century, and 
health has always sought to make use of these advances in delivering 
better health care services. A new initiative worldwide is Telecommu-
nications.

Telemedicine, according to Dr. Salah H. Mandil, Director of Health 
Informatics and Telematics at the World Health Organisation, is "the 
practice of medical care using audio, visual and data communications: 
this includes medical care delivery, consultation, diagnosis, treat-
ment, education and the transfer of medical data. Education covers 
both the education of the patient and the continuing education of the 
health care staff". 

South Africa has embarked on its telemedicine project in April 1999. 
This issue looks at the pilot implementation of telemedicine in the 
Northern Cape, the Eastern Cape and at Kimberley Hospital. 

There are at present 30 pilot sites in the country, where community 
or district hospitals are linked to larger central hospitals. Ser-
vices that are being offered include radiology, pathology, ultrasound 
and antenatal screening. How effective has this new service been? 
Positive responses have been received by doctors doing their commu-
nity service in the country, but there are still technical challenges 
facing implementation of the project.

Telemedicine is regarded as a tool to complement the current health 
care delivery in South Africa. It's full impact has still to be de-
termined.

--
For those of you looking at the full contents of the UPDATE, I would 
like to request that you take time to fill out the short question-
naire on the HST site.

Regards, 

Fatima Suleman
Information Manager
Healthlink Programme - Health Systems Trust
PO Box 808
Durban, 4001
South Africa
Tel: +27-31-307-2954 
Fax: +27-31-304-0775
mailto:fatima@healthlink.org.za
http://www.hst.org.za

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