Medical care gets Infotech boost

BANGALORE: The health care industry is facing many challenges in the absence of adequate resources. However, technology to a major extent can help the industry to bridge the gaps in health care delivery.Experts present at the AIMA conference on 'Inclusive Health Care Management for Sustainable Development', here on Saturday, observed that information technology gives more access to healthcare in both rural and urban areas.One such example of usage of technology is in the field of telemedicine services, which has proved to be a boon to the rural population. It has helped to extend the benefits of advanced medical sciences to remote and inaccessible areas.Speaking of the significance of the use of technology Dr Pratap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospital said, "With the use of 3G technology, the bandwidth has made significant difference. Now we have better clarity, audibility and people living in far flung areas can seek the doctor's consultancy with the help of telemedicine facility. Using information technology for health care has been helping the industry. But still in many other areas, there is a need to combine technology with health care delivery system."He added that teleconsultancy is not limited to India but even other countries such as Iraq and Africa are seeking teleconsultancy from Indian hospitals."The telemedicine services from our hospitals have largely been extended to various districts in Karnataka including Gubbi, Bellary, Kolar and Raichur," Dr Reddy said.