SHILLONG: The North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) is now working on a tele-medicine project to provide medical advice and carry out necessary investigations in rural areas.
NEIGRIHMS Director Prof. Prithwis Bhattacharya said the institute is trying to link up the tele-medicine project with health centres, district hospitals and even take it to local Rangbah Shnongs where people can report their ailments and accordingly treatment can be given to them.
Bhattacharya said the national knowledge network is currently covering 70-80 percent of the health centres in the State but the centres should have tele cameras, speakers and other equipment.
“We are trying to work out the details with the State Government,” he added.
Besides, NEIGRIHMS is also in the process of launching ambulances which will have machines like X-Ray, ultra sound and ECG. MBBS doctors will visit rural areas in these ambulances every day. Tenders for the same have already been floated.
The institute also plans to fit the ambulances with automated direction finders and doctors visiting rural areas can even seek advice and suggestions from their counterparts in top institutes of the country.
Initially, NEIGRIHMS was contemplating rolling out one tele-medicine as a pilot project.
NEIGRIHMS is also starting a tele-ICU service where doctors in different hospitals in the State can contact their counterparts in the institute for advice.
“We are having in talks with the State Government about this since ICUs would require state-of-the-art equipment and infrastructure,” the NEIGRIHMS director said.
NEIGRIHMS is also providing palliative care to terminally ill patients, especially those with cancer, by visiting their homes and providing advice and medical check-ups.
During the visits, doctors and nurses can contact senior doctors at the institute and seek their advice.
