KARACHI: Patients reporting at the emergency departments of district headquarter hospital in Badin can now receive holistic care under a telemedicine project, connecting the facility with the Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) in Karachi.

Described it as first of its kind, the Tele-Emergency Medicine (TE-M) project has recently been initiated by IHHN’s emergency department.

This service, according to officials, will regulate the management of acute emergencies, train emergency medicine physicians on-site, and streamline emergency department process flow and floor dynamics at the district headquarter hospital.

In the second phase, telemedicine services would be extended to the district headquarter hospital Gwadar.

“Emergency care is an important component of a healthcare system, which needs to be effectively manage acute care illnesses. Despite its rising demand in Pakistan, the field has been under prioritised and faces a dire lack of resources and competent healthcare professionals,” a spokesperson of IHHN said.

In Pakistan, he regretted, the health sector was challenged with limited resources and trained personnel. 75 percent of the Pakistani population lived in rural areas and was served by only 22 percent of doctors.

“The telemedicine project, despite being an under-explored field in Pakistan, has great potential to improve the quality of services and patient outcomes in remote health centers. Through this service, underserved healthcare facilities may be able to access specialist support that is otherwise lacking,” he said.

The project extends 24/7 real-time teleconsultations from qualified emergency care physicians at the Indus Hospital, Korangi Campus, to patients reporting at hospitals in Badin and Gwadar.

“Overall, the initiative will work to reduce disease burden, patient mortality, Emergency Department (ED) waiting times, and length of stay, and improve patient satisfaction at the IHHN-managed hospitals. It will also help the workforce to effectively manage acute emergencies, provide initial care, and practice safe transfers where required.

Meanwhile, the IHHN has signed a memorandum of understanding with the ChildLife Foundation to share the best practices, particularly in telemedicine.

Moreover, both organisations will also collaborate and develop a mechanism for patient referral at each other’s facilities.

“In partnership with ChildLife Foundation, we aim to extend our reach to the untapped geographic areas of Pakistan through telemedicine, adding value to the common mission of treating the sickest and poorest ones in the country, free of cost,” said Dr Zafar Zaidi, CEO Indus Hospital.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2023