Video communication technology allowing doctors to potentially consult with medical patients who are hundreds of kilometres away has been successfully trialled in Zambia, according to telecoms operator Zamtel.
The tests of the technology resulted in specialist doctors at Maina Soko Ministry hospital, in Lusaka, conducting live video link sessions with their counterpart medical staff at the Zambia Air Force's Mt Eugenia Health Centre, in Lusaka West.
The telemedicine facility, provided by Zamtel, uses network infrastructure that consists of a mix of optical fibre and radio technologies.
The technology is further capable of capturing still images and patient data, which can then be stored and sent to medical consultants for diagnosis and follow-up treatment at a later date.
“We stand ready to work with the government and the medical fraternity in order to bring about the efficient delivery of modern healthcare services in Zambia through telemedicine,” said Dr Mupanga Mwanakatwe, chairman and acting chief executive of Zamtel.
According to the 2011 World Health Organisation report, Zambia, a country with 13 million people, has only 1 200 doctors, who are mostly based in urban areas. But about 65% of the country's population live in rural areas, where health conditions are generally poorer and access to information, services and supplies are limited, according to a report from the United Nations Development Programme.
The telemedicine project, which uses the Zamtel technology to attempt to bridge this medical services divide, is funded by the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids relief and the US Department of Defence.
A 12-month pilot “virtual doctor project” in Zambia is also under way in a government clinic, in Chanyanya, South of Lusaka, aimed at testing the efficacy of the telemedicine system and determining the impact this technology could have in communities in that country.
Share