ALKHOBAR, 9 September 2003 — It’s not so easy to get around anymore. First there were the new visa regulations issued by many nations. Next came the global economic crisis and cutbacks in flight schedules. In the spring we had the war in Iraq followed by SARS. Air travel isn’t a pleasant experience these days and the bad news is that the situation doesn’t look like it’s improving. Visa regulations seem to be getting worse. The airline industry is still struggling with heavy debt and frequent security scares. And Asian nations have already started education campaigns long before the winter flu season in an attempt to keep another viral epidemic at bay.
The fact is that thanks to improved technologies, travel isn’t the necessity it once was. Choosing to go to a destination for a vacation because of the quality of its beaches or recreation facilities is one thing. But flying halfway around the world for a simple business meeting or to consult with a health specialist is almost bordering on stupidity. Video conferencing is a technology that has already proved itself for use in business, education and social settings. Taken a bit farther and combined with specialized equipment, video conferencing brings telemedicine into the 21st century.
“Video conferencing is a technology that eliminates distance,” said Nazir Ahmed Vaid, chairman, Universal Communications Systems (Unicom). “With the problems facing the world in regards to transportation, and the specific problems facing developing countries, there is no question but that we must consider making the fullest use of video conferencing technologies.”
Unicom (enterview.biz) has been licensed by the Pakistani government to set up live video conferencing facilities in all major Pakistani cities using rooms provided by Pakistan Post. Most of the rooms will seat four people and it is expected that by the end of 2003, Unicom will have 40 centers in Pakistan. Internationally, in association with Proximity, one of the world’s largest providers of video conferencing services, Unicom will be able to offer service to 3,500 centers globally. Unicom video conferencing will be available in the US, UK, Canada, India and UAE, among other locations. In Saudi Arabia, Unicom has already applied to Saudi Telecom for a license.
“Outside of business requirements, just imagine how important video conferencing could be for social reasons,” said Vaid. “There are 4.5 million Pakistanis living abroad. We estimate that of this number about 12 percent are affluent enough to pay for video conferencing regularly. The service could be used for family visitations. Grandparents could see their grandchildren. Fathers working abroad could maintain closer contact with their families. The service could even be used to smooth the way for marriage proposals. With the entry level for the service at 210 rupees per minute (ISD) we believe Unicom’s video conferencing will quickly be adopted for both business and personal use.”
Communicating with loved ones or resolving business issues are valid uses of video conferencing. However, this technology has the potential to be more than just a convenience. It can be a lifesaver. Video conferencing may be combined with other digital equipment to enable the sick and injured to be diagnosed and even treated at a distance.
“Medical costs are rising globally. It is impossible to keep up with the demand for basic medical services, let alone provide enhanced medical care,” said Dr. Zakiuddin Ahmed, COO, Smart Health Care, speaking at the ITCN Asia 2003 Conference. “I believe that e-health is the way of the future. More and more medical resources cannot be generated. Instead, it is necessary to re-allocate the existing resources in an efficient manner.”
E-Health is an evolution of telehealth and telemedicine. Telehealth describes administrative or educational functions related to telemedicine. The term telemedicine is defined as the direct provision of health care via telecommunications — diagnosing, treating or following up with a patient at a distance. Practiced for over 30 years, telemedicine can be as simple as a physician sending a report about slides that have been mailed to him (telepathology) or it can be as complicated as doing surgery at a distance (telesurgery). According to Ahmed, the most popular use of telemedicine involves the storage, forwarding, retrieving and interpretation of images by medical specialists.
“Telemedicine is not a replacement for conventional medicine. It is an add-on to it,” explained Ahmed. “Telemedicine can be used from clinics in remote villages, correctional facilities, on the battlefield and even from home. For patients too sick to be transported to a major medical center, telemedicine can be a lifesaver. Even for patients who will eventually require specialized care in a regional medical facility, telemedicine can provide convenience. For example, organ transplant patients may be both pre-screened and followed up through telemedicine.”
Desktop video conferencing equipment has brought about a dramatic change in the way telemedicine works. Video conferencing allows the patient and his medical practitioner to consult with a specialist at a distance in real time, similar to a traditional office visit. Peripheral devices are often attached to their computers to aid in an interactive examination. Following the instructions of the specialist physician located at the regional medical center, the medical practitioner at the other, often rural, medical facility positions the high-tech devices on the patient. For example, a digital stethoscope lets the consultant “hear” a patient’s heartbeat. Special ultrasound equipment can show an obstetrician a live fetus inside the womb from a distance of thousands of kilometers. Most medical specialties are adaptable to telemedicine including dermatology, neurology, cardiology, psychiatry, and internal medicine.
While Saudi Arabia is making use of telemedicine, the effort is limited. A telemedicine network connects regional hospitals in Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah and Dhahran to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center. The center itself is connected to various telemedicine centers at several hospitals in the United States and Europe. Telemedicine in Saudi Arabia is hampered by the lack of broadband connectivity in rural areas. Unfortunately, regular telephone lines do not supply adequate bandwidth for most telemedicine uses. However, the Kingdom could still be doing more than it is with the technology already at hand.
“It must be pointed out that Saudi Arabia has a severe shortage of local radiologists and pathologists,” said Ahmed. “Such specialists are almost always brought from abroad to work in Saudi hospitals and their numbers are quite limited. With the requirement for healthcare increasing annually, it would be far more cost effective and efficient to change policy and begin using broadband to send digital images abroad where they can easily be read by highly qualified specialists.”
The World Health Organization has asserted that a partnership between heath and telecommunications is crucial if there is to be equitable, affordable and universal access to better health care. Telemedicine is the only choice if all Saudis are to have adequate medical care. It is apparent that access to advanced telecom services should no longer be considered a luxury. For Saudis in rural areas, broadband connectivity might be the difference between life and death.
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