PESHAWAR: Non-availability of funds is delaying launch of second phase of telemedicine project, aimed at covering five more remote districts and providing them with specialised healthcare services via satellite by the consultants sitting in Peshawar.

The programme was launched in 2017 through which specialised health services were provided to people in remote areas of five districts -- Chitral, Nowshera, Karak, Swabi and Battagram -- using information technology.

Most of the programme period was consumed in setting in place infrastructure and hiring consultants due to which it was practically started in February 2018. It benefited about 1,500 patients.

Revised programme to benefit patients in 10 remote districts

The cost of the programme was Rs95million that was started as part of special initiatives by former chief secretary Mohammad Azam Khan.

He had floated the idea to extend specialised healthcare to the people in remote areas. However, the finance department released Rs70 million and is yet to give Rs25 million more due to which the outstanding dues of consultants remained unpaid.

Given the effectiveness of the initiative, the health department decided to extend telemedicine services to five more districts for which a PC-1 of Rs214 million for next year had been prepared. However, the PC-1, submitted to the health department on July 1 would now be placed before the Special Development Unit (SDU) at the chief secretary’s office as the programme falls under the special initiative of the government which will delay its extension.

The previous project ended in June 2018 and the department needs to initiate the extended programme for which preparations have been completed. Learnt from the previous experience, the department will adopt the latest technology to reach to people in 10 districts more promptly with curative and investigative services.

The revised programme includes Upper Dir, Shangla, Torghar and Kohistan while the fifth district would be selected soon but lack of funds can hamper the programme to take off timely, according to health officials.

They said that the SDU was meant to pilot new projects and telemedicine had already been piloted so the health department should carry it forward. In case of hurdles and no progressive response by the government in allocation of funds, the project will suffer irreparable loss and patients in mountainous and undeveloped areas will suffer.

Dr Jamal Nasir, who is implementing the project, confirmed to Dawn that extension process was in progress to provide better services to people in distant, far flung and mountainous areas.

“The specialised healthcare is being enhanced and strengthened as it has gained remarkable acceptance,” he said.

The modus operandi of the programme is beneficial for the people, who couldn’t visit specialists in the cities as they undergo checkups by consultants sitting in Services Hospital, Peshawar, where the programme is headquartered.

In the selected districts, patients are examined by specialists in Peshawar on big screens from their local rural health centres and are advised drugs. The IT experts make it possible to establish contact between local and Peshawar-based doctors.

Not only for patients but the programme is also a source of medical education for the local doctors.

Initially, the response was lackluster but with the passing of time, the number of patients kept rising that saved time and money of the people as they got standard investigation and treatment without bothering to pay fee and travel to the cities.

“We got 50 specialists and plan to establish one mobile telemedicine health unit to give free health services to people,” said Dr Jamal.

He said that people got services in general medicines; obstetrics; gynecology; ear, nose and throat; ophthalmology; psychiatry, paeds; dermatology; radiology; cardiology; and general surgery. “Under it, the patients get live consultation via satellite,” he added.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2018