The Federal Government’s Department of Information
Technology supports several ambitious specialized IT based health
care projects. Mr. B.S. Bedi, Director of the Department of IT
recently said that IT applications in health sector in the country
offer an opportunity for the people to have greater access to
specialized health care. Delivering the keynote address at the
function organized recently in the Southern state of
Kerala—enjoying some of the best health and social indicators in
the country--in connection with the inauguration of the ‘CancerNet
Kerala’, a tele-medicine project launched by the Regional Cancer
Centre (RCC), Thiruvanthapuram, and the Malabar Cancer Care Society
(MCCS) with the technical assistance of the Electronics Research and
Development Centre of India (ER&DCI), Mr. Bedi said India’s
health sector constituting four per cent of the GDP would benefit
enormously by the application of IT.
Though the country had a
diverse system of health care delivery with Government, Cooperative
and private sectors participating in it.
However most of the specialized treatments are available only
in the big cities, Mr. Bedi said. Use of IT in the health care
sector would be an answer to the lack of continuum in the three-tire
health system in the country, he added.
“Emphasis is being given on
e-learning to provide health education and on tele-medicine which
can make available specialized health care to patients through
IT”, he said.
Terming the tele-medicine as a
major area in the health care sector, Mr. Bedi said that the
Ministry of Information Technology had taken initiatives to provide
quality tele-medicine system. “We are trying to evolve standards
and adapt available standards and this will discourage fly-by-night
operators in the tele-medicine field”, he said. The CancerNet
program developed by the ER&DCI would ensure improved access to
patient information, tele-consultation and tele-clinic facilities,
he added.
Mr. Bedi also said that the
tele-medicine project launched in West Bengal with a focus on
tropical diseases depended on ordinary telephone network. Tthe
Department of Space was also taking some initiatives in the tele-medicine
programme, he said adding that Port Blair had already been connected
with major hospitals in the country.
Earlier, A.P. Abdulla Kutty,
Member of Parliament inaugurated the Pain Clinic at the MCCS’
Early Cancer Detection Centre in Kannur located in Kerala. He called
for special study on the high rates of cancer and heart diseases
reported in the State. The Kannur Municipal chairperson, Mr. P.K.
Noorunnisa, presided over the function. The MLA, Mr. T.K. Balan,
inaugurated the Follow-Up Clinic and the District Collector,
Mr. M. Anirudhan, formally launched the MCCS website. The
MCCS president, Mr. D. Krishnanatha Pai, the ER&DCI Additional Director, Mr,
N. Krishnan, Mr. Anil Kumar and Mr. B.V. Bhat were present at the
function.
- Best Regards!
- Chetan Sharma
