Telemedicine applications in developing countries

Distant consultation with Radiologists in Ukraine

Ukraine and the Chernobyl Accident :
The worst nuclear accident in world history took place on 26 April 1986 in one of the four reactors of the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine. It resulted in the release of large amounts of radioactive nuclides to the surrounding area.
The continued release of radioactive nuclides over a period of several months and their spread in the environment posed major problems to the population in the areas surrounding the nuclear plant. Evacuation of all residents within 50 km of the power station took place within several days.

Background

Large-scale programmes of medical surveillance were initiated for the population of the contaminated areas, and still continue.

Assistance in dealing with the impacts of the disaster has come from several sources. The Government of Japan offered the largest cash contribution for implementation of an International Programme on Health Effects of the Chernobyl Accident (IPHECA) administered by the World Health Organization. Japanese non-governmental organizations provide humanitarian aid to the population residing in the contaminated areas and first of all to children. The necessity to continue these activities has been unanimously recognised by the scientists and practitioners concerned.

Description of the project

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine has two buses equipped with medical equipment in order to check the health of people, especially children, living in rural areas surrounding Chernobyl. The buses are a donation from the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation of Japan.

It is possible to improve the efficiency of these mobile medical laboratories by providing a telecommunications link between them and Kiev. In this project, Inmarsat satellite-phones will be used for administrative purposes and remote medical consultations, including transfer of medical data from remote sites to Kiev.

PARTNERS

Telecommunication Development Bureau of the ITU

· General management and supervision of the project. · Co-ordination with local authorities in Ukraine.
· Participation in the evaluation and monitoring of the telemedicine service during the pilot project.

Basic Association of Japan

· Mobilisation of funds for project implementation · Co-ordination with other partners from Japan.
· Co-ordination for shipment of Inmarsat-phones from Japan to Kiev. · Participation in the evaluation and monitoring of the telemedicine service during the pilot period.

Inmarsat

· Provision of space segment capacity for the duration of the pilot project. · Technical and operational assistance.
· Participation in the evaluation and monitoring of the telemedicine service.

Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Hospital NO. 2 in Kiev

· Co-ordination of all medical aspects concerning specialised assistance during the pilot operational period. · Identification of appropriate telemedicine applications.
· Preparation of application for the operational licence. · Administrative and logistic support in Ukraine (local transport, storage of equipment, material, etc.)
· Participation in the evaluation and monitoring of the telemedicine service during the pilot period.

Ukrtelecom

· Participation in the project engineering. · Technical and operational assistance with interconnection to PSTN.

Ukrspace/National Space Agency of Ukraine

· Project engineering. · Interconnection to the PSTN.
· Assistance in the preparation of the application for the operational licence. · Putting system into operation.
· Participation in the evaluation and monitoring of telemedicine services.

Ukrainian State Centre of Radio Frequencies

· Provision of the operational licence (free of charge). · Assistance in the frequency allocation and any other associated matters.