Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim May The Almighty shower us all with His infinite blessings
Telemedicine in Bangladesh Background, Implementation & Experiences
Dr. Kazi Saifuddin Bennoor Assistant Professor (Respiratory Medicine) National Institute of Diseases of Chest & Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh General Secretary Bangladesh Telemedicine Association bennoor@gmail.com
From Dhaka, Bangladesh
To Cochin, Kerala
MYANMAR Bangladesh Area 150,000 sq-kms population 145 million M:F = 104:100 below 15 years >40% Per Capita GDP <300 US$ INDIA INDIA Bay of Bengal INDIA
mainly plane lands extremely networked by numerous rivers heavy monsoon and torrential flood Flood affected areas of Bangladesh, April 2004 We need medical help
qualified physicians <30,000. 10% of them hold a specialist degree or diploma Population per physician is around 5,000 Number of hospital beds is about 40,000 population per bed 3750 (ideal figure 500) specialist
distribution of specialists is lop-sided more specialists in the capital city Dhaka tertiary care hospitals are also concentrated in Dhaka
Applicable Fields of TM in Bangladesh Emergency Medical Care. Physician to Physician Second Opinion Teleconsultation. Follow-through medical consultation for patients receiving treatment abroad. Rural Telehealth care. Post-disaster (flood) medical management. Cont.
Applicable Fields of TM in Bangladesh Home Tele-monitoring. Healthcare Professional Training Program for remote isolated doctors Medical Education, Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Patient education. Military and Prison Healthcare System.
Current Status of Telemedicine Telemedicine Associations: Bangladesh Telemedicine Association Telemedicine Services: Medinova Telemedicine Center for Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed Bangladesh Institute for Research of Diabetic, Endocrine & Metabolic disorders (BIRDEM) Bangladesh Telemedicine Services DNS Telemedicine
Bangladesh Telemedicine Association (BTA) is the national- member of International Society for Telemedicine (ISfT( ISfT)
Priorities of BTA To Promote Development of Telemedicine Network in Bangladesh. Establishment of a Virtual Medical Library. Computer Literacy Programs for Medical Professionals. To lobby for establishment of the regional office of ISfTeH in Dhaka. To explore the possibilities of developing South Asian Association of Telehealth Initiatives (SAATHI) in collaboration with SAARC.
Medinova Telemedicine Bangladesh Telemedicine Services DNS Telemedicine - providing commercial services - digital data store & forward - medical video-conferencing - follow up cares
Center for Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed - non-profit NGO providing second opinion services from British Navy Bangladesh Institute for Research of Diabetic, Endocrine & Metabolic disorders (BIRDEM) - networked between central institute in Dhaka & peripheral center on a limited basis
Benefits Obtained Cost effective Travel & accommodation Investigation & Consultancy Family care & environment retained for the patient Prompt specialized opinion served to the remote & isolated areas Remote physician does not feel helpless Faculty development of the physicians
The Problems Security & Confidentiality of information Reliability issues of the patients Lack of record keeping attitude & facilities Computer illiteracy, reluctance & phobia Scarcity of TM-supported imaging equipments
The Problems Unavailability of data transfer connectivity High cost of band-width Inexistence of government initiative & policy
Future Programs Server-based telemedicine network connecting GPs of five divisional districts with Dhaka. Country-wide tele-home monitoring of Cardiac, Respiratory and Diabetic patients. 24 hours / 7 days a week emergency call center. (Using Cell phones)
Future Programs Interactive CME and training programs. Robotic telepathology network connecting different districts with Pathologists in Dhaka. Expansion of International Teleconsultation network for follow-up of patients receiving treatment abroad & to countries needing specialized medical support.
Towards a new discipline: global e-health
Medical Knowledge & Know-how should not be constrained by geographical borders Let s make GEOGRAPHY, a HISTORY in Medical Science
Thank you very much for your kind attention