Media Release
Bangalore, Oct 9: The telemedicine network of ISRO has enabled 382 hospitals with the facility
in the country, said ISRO project director Dr Mylswamy Annadurai.
Speaking at the convocation of Rajarajeshwari Dental College here on Saturday October 9 he said that about 306 health centres and 16 mobile telemedicine units are connected to 51 superspeciality hospitals located in the major cities. About 1.5 lakh patients were getting telemedicine facility every year, he said.
Stating that the ISRO’s telemedicine pilot project was started in 2001 with the aim of providing medical
treatment to the population at the grassroot level, Dr Annadurai said that the facility connects remote hospitals with superspeciality hospitals in cities through Insat satellites for providing expert consultation to the needy. The programme is a synergy of satellite communication technology, information technology with biomedical engineering and medical sciences, he said.
Dr Annadurai said about 75 per cent of the doctors practice in urban areas and 23 per cent in semi-urban areas leaving just 2 per cent of the qualified doctors who are attached to about 23,000 primary health and 3,000 community health centres. The miniscule percentage of doctors caters to 70 percent of the population living in villages. He called upon young doctors to imbibe human values and serve society while making a career. In all 50 students were conferred Bachelor of Dental Sciences degree at the convocation.
Chairman of Rajarajeshwari Group of Institutions A C Shanmugam and dean Dr Edwin Devadas among others were present.