CUTTACK: After linking all the three government medical college hospitals in the State through telemedicine service, Orissa is now set to revolutionise rural healthcare system through digital system in which all the 30 district headquarters hospital would be linked with referral hospitals. An exclusive telemedicine centre with state-of-the-art techniques at SCB medical college and hospital would monitor the telemedicine facilities in the state.

Four rural hospitals in the state and the regional diagnostic centre at Bhubaneswar were connected with telemedicine network last year, State coordinator of telemedicine services B N Mohanty of SCB hospital said.

``The district headquarters hospitals at Kalahandi, Koraput, Sundargarh and Mayurbhanj which have diagnostic buildings, would be linked with the three medical college and hospitals in the first phase. Rural patients from far-flung areas of these tribal dominated districts would now directly get in touch with urban specialists at the click of a mouse,'' Dr. Mohanty said. Request letters were sent to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to install telemedicine equipment at the five centres, Dr. Mohanty said and added that equipment worth about Rs. 8 lakhs would be required for each centre. The State Government has reportedly requested ISRO to install the equipment free of cost as most of the centres come under KBK districts and mostly tribal people would be benefited by this facility.

The State Government, however, was prepared to bear the recurring costs of these centres, which would be about Rs 3.5 lakhs per annum per centre.

A telemedicine technology-training programme was held at SCB centre here in 2006 in which the participants were trained about the facility, Dr. Mohanty said.

According to official sources, telemedicine facility would be extended to other districts in the state in phased manner as soon as the diagnostic centres at their district hospitals are ready.

Dr. Mohanty,aid telemedicine facility would bring in a remarkable change in the healthcare services of the State.

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