If you’re in the most far-flung among the 70 hospitals in Argentina, you probably have no choice but trust long-distance doctor’s diagnosis. Remote healthcare support and services are now being offered to patients in the different provinces of Argentina via the Telemedicine pilot project, led by the Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan, in cooperation with Cisco HealthPresence. ‘This initiative is part of the Garrahan Hospital’s Telemedecine Reference and Counter-reference Program, which has been taking place for more than 12 years in partnership with the Garrahan Foundation.’ The project is managed by the Communications at a Distance Office.

With the aid of such collaborative technologies as Cisco TelePresence and Cisco Unified Communications, patient diagnosis may now be given remotely via e-mail, fax, and telephone.

Cisco’s vision rings noble as the company aims to ‘enhance doctor-patient interactions over a distance; support diagnoses in complex cases in remote and budget-constrained hospitals; optimize the hospital’s resources; and underpin a more collaborative process in terms of procedures, prevention programs and medical treatment, all within a highly secure and effective environment.’

The telepresence medical program has two basic goals. Firstly, it aims for patients from any part of Argentina to be able to avail of ‘excellent medical care with the possibility of having consultations and appropriate referrals.’ Secondly, it wants to guarantee ‘access to medical care from the place of residency, in order to be able to continue with control and necessary follow-ups to receive the specialized care for pathologies that require immediate or short-term treatment.’

With the monumental leaps in technologies, access to doctor’s advice should no longer be impossible for some.

Via Telepresence Options