Rural hospitals will soon use telecommunication technologies to deliver medical information and services to remote patients.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has established four primary healthcare telemedicine workstations at rural hospitals in the Free State. The first workstation will go to the Botshabelo community.
Deputy minister of science and technology Derek Hanekom said the project would use science and technology to improve service delivery. He added that challenges faced by government required “alternative” solutions, saying: “We need to look at alternative ways to provide specialist care and other medical interventions closer to the homes of patients by bringing the doctor closer to the patient.”
The telemedicine workstations were developed by the University of Stellenbosch and the Medical Research Council (MRC). They will be funded by the Innovation Fund, and MTN has committed to meet the project's bandwidth requirements.
MTN touted the project as an example of successful collaboration between government, research institutions and the private sector. The company's chief corporate services officer, Zolisa Masiza, states the partnership shows how effectively government and the private sector could collaborate to solve the technical constraints that negatively impact the service delivery of the healthcare sector.
The concept was first introduced in 1999 by the Department of Health as part of the National Telemedicine Strategy, which seeks to integrate the healthcare system by connecting rural medical centres. According to the DST, several telemedicine workstations are in use around the country.
According to MRC president Tony Mbewu, there are great benefits to this project. “Telemedicine technology allows patients to receive comprehensive care at a local clinic or hospital instead of being referred to a tertiary hospital with the appropriate services. This reduces the cost of unnecessary patient transfers and saves the patient valuable time and expenses when away from work or their family."
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