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The president of the CPSP, Professor Zafarullah Chaudhry, formally inaugurated the Tele-oncology services initiative of the Telemedicine / E-Health Training Centre (TETC) of Holy Family Hospital (HFH).

The CPSP chief was initially taken to the outpatient department where the telemedicine clinic was demonstrated to him. The clinic was linked to remote hospitals in Attock, Pindi Gheb, Khushab and Gujrat at that time and routine tele-consultations were going on. Dr. Asif Zafar, professor of surgery and project director of the centre, informed that more than 4,000 patients in remote locations have thus far benefited from application of this technology.

The establishment of a telemedicine network in these areas has changed the practice of referral and most of the remote patients are being managed effectively at their own centres under remote guidance of specialists without need for referral. The consultants at HFH are providing consultations to these remote locations on a voluntary basis. A weekly schedule for each specialty is being followed to efficiently utilize these services.

Prof. Zafarullah participated in ongoing tele-consultations with remote hospitals and termed it an effective way to utilise the existing healthcare infrastructure of Pakistan.

The ceremony was attended by principal of the Rawalpindi Medical College Prof. Mussadiq Khan and faculty members and staff of allied hospitals including consultants, post-graduate trainees and house officers. A team at NORI including its director, consultant oncologist Dr. Humaira and trainees attended the ceremony via video link.

Professor Asif Zafar briefed the guests on the telemedicine initiatives of HFH with particular reference to the latest initiative of tele-oncology services in the rural health net program. He said, doctors at remote locations would be able to manage their cancer patients with guidance from cancer experts of NORI.

Professor Asif Zafar Malik further pointed out that this facility will be utilised by other departments of HFH, Benazir Bhutto and DHQ hospitals. In rural areas, access to quality cancer care is especially challenging. The cumbersome process of travelling long distances for care is exacerbated by the symptoms associated with disease, leaving many rural cancer patients under-treated. However, a relatively new telecommunication technology offers one way to overcome the geographic barriers faced by rural patients. He plans to extend this service to cancer patients in rural areas, utilising the existing telemedicine rural support programme of the Ministry of Information technology. Professor Zafarullah added that CPSP can play a leadership role in implementation of telemedicine at the national level.

Source: HFH

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