FMH Partners NASRDA to Drive Telemedicine

In respect of the Telemedicine project targeted at the rural dwellers, NASRDA is expected to provide the fund while the health ministry would provide policy and framework as well as the enabling environment.

The aim, CommunicationsWeek gathered, is to improve information flow between the health workers and the general public, better opportunities for health services interventions, which include patient information, communications, health research, among others.

Further investigation also revealed that some of the latest technologies and clinical devices earmarked for the take-off of the project include digital electronic cardio gram (DCG), electronic stethoscope, high resolution camera, telepathology microscope and digitalized x-ray equipment.

Expert said that the technologies can enable the transmission of images for diagnosis often referred to as store and forward), the transmission of medical data for diagnosis or disease management.

With these latest technologies, groups or individuals can exchange health services or education via video conferencing (real-time health) as well as health advice by telephone in emergency cases (referred to as tele-triage).

According to expert at the national hospital in Abuja, application of e-health and telemedicine tools and services in Nigeria’s health system will no doubt result into delivery of on-line medical content as well as the adaptation of generic e-commerce solutions to the processing of health related administrative transaction and logistical support of clinical tasks.

"Telemedicine will allow government to attract more external funding for health and allow optimal use of scarce healthcare human resources", he concluded.

It would be recalled that Prof. Dora Akunyili , director-general of NAFDAC, once said at a public function in Abuja that Nigeria had achieved significant landmarks in the area of science and technology through the launch of the NigSat1and Nigcomsat satellites and that these infrastructure could become the foundation for development of telemedicine in Nigeria.