e-Asia 2011 Seminar
ICT can deliver low-cost healthcare services
Speakers at the seminarPhoto: STAR
Local and international health experts yesterday called for using modern information and communication technology to take healthcare services to the rural people in a cost effective way. Their observation came at a seminar styled "Healthcare Services Using ICTs: Status, Challenges and Opportunities" at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka. The seminar is part of the three-day 'eAsia 2011', one of the Asia's premier events on ICT. World's 80 percent doctors are urban-based, whereas a majority of the world's population still lives in rural areas, said Jeyaseelan Jayaraj, practice head, healthcare solutions unit of Cisco Systems, India. "ICT can really transform the healthcare system from what we see today. It can help take services to the people. Now doctors can treat people from thousands of miles away," he said. He said now many people are demanding healthcare services using ICT. "The solution has to be tailor-made for the people living in rural and urban areas." Jayaraj said public private partnership can play a vital role in taking healthcare services to the masses. Health Minister Prof AFM Ruhal Haque said ICT has revolutionised the world and Bangladesh is also part of it. "We have to make the best of the technology to take healthcare services to the people in rural areas." He said that the present government has already launched eight telemedicine projects to take health services to the people. Prof Abul Kalam Azad, additional director general of Directorate General of Health Services, said the government has made a lot of progress in e-healthcare since it came to power almost three years ago. "People can avail healthcare services through mobile phones in every upazila hospital," he said. "Through the use of ICT, we have also increased the doctors' attendance to 80 percent. We are gradually moving to hospital automation." Azad also said they also face challenges. "The cost of internet and bandwidth is high. We also need adequate supply of electricity." AKM Nazrul Haider, a director of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, said the healthcare services were doctor-centric 50 years ago. "Now it is patient-centric, and will be system-centric in the future." He however said digitisation of healthcare system is not simple. "There are plenty of stakeholders and they have to work in a simple manner." Jaijit Bhattacharya, a corporate director of Hewlett-Packard India, said: "We have to keep in mind that the technology is not going to solve all medical issues." Bhattacharya also said it would not be possible for Bangladesh to set up healthcare system in its every village. "So, we have to find out what works." "Rural people who are coming to Dhaka to take medical services actually pay more than the people who live in Dhaka. We need to have doctors in place who can give them primary healthcare and refer them to right hospitals," he said. "We have to give them a low-cost solution."
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