Telemedicine for Pakistan’s Underprivileged Masses
By Dr. A. Khan
Chicago
Recent advances in the field of IT and telecommunications have made telemedicine a viable approach for providing healthcare services to millions of underprivileged people around the globe.
Majority of people, living in small villages and towns in the rural areas of Pakistan, have none or very limited access to modern healthcare services. As a result, many become victim of lack of medical treatment. Some of the patients are rushed to urban cities during emergences, but many die before they reach urban clinics and hospitals.
Many students who get admission in medical colleges and universities in Pakistan on the basis of “rural domicile,” after becoming doctors, never bother to go back to their rural abodes to serve the poor. On graduation, they either start their practices in the urban areas or leave the country in search of lucrative opportunities abroad. Those who become successful abroad rarely try to help their alma mater by way of providing financial and educational support.
Telemedicine should be used by the private and public medical organizations in Pakistan to provide basic and advanced healthcare services to the underprivileged rural and urban population. Telemedicine clinics and centers should be established in the rural and urban
areas of Pakistan . These centers should be supported by local doctors and linked to the Internet through wireless networks. Through the Internet video conferencing specialists from urban areas of Pakistan and overseas can provide expert advise. Pakistani physicians in the Untied States could play a leading role in establishing such clinics and centers.
From the comfort of their homes, they could use Internet technologies such as Skype to serve millions in Pakistan. They can also use Internet technologies to provide continuing education and training to the faculty and students who do not have access to professional meetings or educational opportunities.
The Pakistani-American NGOs should also consider using Telemedicine. If used efficiently, Telemedicine will not only provide cost-effective healthcare services but also prove beneficial in achieving the millennium development goals.
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