ISRO expands telemedicine network to more hospitals

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)has signed memoranda of understanding with four morespeciality hospitals thereby expanding itstelemedicine network to 165 hospitals across thecountry.

According to a statement from ISRO, telemedicinefacility will be provided by the space agency toManipal Hospital in Bangalore, Ganga Ram Hospital inNew Delhi, Madras Diabetic Research Foundation inChennai and Dr Venkatrao Dawle Medical Foundation inMaharashtra’s Ambajogai.

The memoranda of understanding was signed at AntarikshBhavan in Bangalore by Director of SatelliteCommunications Programme Bhaskarnarayana on behalf ofISRO and representatives of the four specialityhospitals.“ISRO’s telemedicine has matured into an operationalsystem and now covers 165 hospitals – 132 remote/ruraldistrict hospitals connected to 33 specialityhospitals in major cities”, the ISRO statement said.

ISRO’s satellite-based telemedicine network, startedin 2001 on an experimental basis, is aimed at linkingremote/rural district hospitals with super-specialityhospitals in major cities via the INSAT. While ISROprovides software, hardware and communicationequipment as well as satellite bandwidth, thespeciality hospitals provide the infrastructure,manpower and maintain the system.

Of the four hospitals that entered into anunderstanding with ISRO, the Manipal Hospital, whichhas its head office in Bangalore, caters to the needsof rural patients through its branches in differentparts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa andSikkim.

Similiarly, the Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi isadopting Government community health centers at taluklevel in Haryana and Rajasthan. “This hospital isalready planning to integrate telemedicine in VillageResource Centres in these states and it is also activein the scheme ‘Providing Urban Amenities in RuralAreas (PURA)’, envisioned by the President of India”,the ISRO statement added.The Madras Diabetic Research Foundation has set up amobile telemedicine unit to visit various villagesaround Chennai while Dr Venkatrao Dawle MedicalFoundation’s mobile telemedicine unit covers ruralpopulation of southern Maharashtra.

ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said the telemedicineprogramme of the space agency was an example ofsocietal orientation of Indian Space programme. “Manyspeciality hospitals, besides state governments andnon-governmental organizations have shown interest inestablishing the network to extend quality healthcareto rural population”, he said.