Andhra Pradesh is ahead of other states in using telemedicine and states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are also interested in using telemedicine consultation and other systems being implemented in the state to provide better health care for the poor, said Dhanush Infotech senior vice-president K.L.Murthy.
Talking to The Hindu Mr Murthy said, “Dhanush Infotech, which had developed tablet-based telemedicine consultation application for providing mother and child health care in interior habitations in Kenya, had taken up Urban Public Health Centres (UPHCs) in Andhra Pradesh. The firm was extending telemedicine consultation technology in Uganda and Nigeria along with Kenya.”
The Health Care division of Dhanush was running successfully 28 UPHCs -- 21 UPHCs in East Godavari and eight in Vizianagaram districts, he said.
It was providing telemedicine consultation in seven specialities on a rotation basis (one speciality per day) at these UPHCs. Besides telemedicine, electronic medical records (EMRs) of every patient who visits the centre was being created and preserved. The UPHCs were also conducting 28 diagnostic investigations (including ECG, pathology and serology) free of cost. The dispensation of medication was being managed with software that generated alerts and notifications based on utilisation, Mr Murthy explained.
Impressed with the Andhra Pradesh model the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Siddarth Nath Singh asked Dhanush to implement the system in a few PHCs on an experimental basis, Mr Murthy said. Now even Bihar was showing interest, he said. Dhanush Infotech was also involved in developing and implementing for the Government of India the tablet-based application ANMOL that allowed ANMs to enter and update data of their beneficiaries to ensure prompt delivery of benefits. Earlier a huge ledger had to be lugged around and the data in it was often in accurate and could not be corrected, he explained.
He said in the 29 centres patients suffering with chronic ailments like diabetes and hypertension were benefiting a lot. Pregnant women were coming in large numbers for antenatal and postnatal care.