The State Institute of Health and Family Welfare (SIHFW)’s efforts for capacity building of doctors and health workers along with extension of IEC activities at the grassroots is set for a major boost as it is soon going to be included in the Odisha Telemedicine Network (OTN).
A dedicated telemedicine node would be commissioned at the SIHFW by the end of this month linking it to all the existing nodes at the district headquarters hospitals (DHH) and the three medical colleges.
With the establishment of the telemedicine node, the SIHFW can conduct training and capacity building programmes without requiring the physical presence of the doctors, paramedical staff or the associated health workers at its facility in Bhubaneswar.
“The institution holds programmes on different public health issues and implementation of schemes on a regular basis.
The field staff including the doctors have to leave their stations and come to Bhubaneswar for the training and sensitisation programmes.
By establishment of the node, the personnel can attend the programmes sitting at their own DHH without having to travel to the SIHFW, losing valuable time in the process.
It will also save unnecessary expenditure on travel and accommodation for the participants,” said state nodal officer of OTN Prof BN Mohanty.
The node would offer high-speed connectivity to the tune of 1 mbps which is on par with the medical colleges.
The DHHs and peripheral institutions are provided with connectivity of 512 kbps.
The high-speed connectivity will ensure smooth and disturbance-free conduct of the programmes.
The node is being established by CDAC under the OTN Phase III expansion plan and would be inaugurated by the last week of this month, Prof Mohanty said.
The OTN which has already established nodes at 34 institutions including three medical colleges and 31 district hospitals including the Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar and IGH, Rourkela, will also bring the Sambalpur district hospital and Ganjam district hospital at Berhampur in its fold.
The two had been left out as the VSSMCH, Burla and MKCGMCH, Berhampur were located close by and had high-speed telemedicine nodes.
“However, the necessity to link these institutions was felt as they catered to a large volume of patients,” Prof Mohanty explained.
DEDICATED node
■ A dedicated telemedicine node would be commissioned at the SIHFW by the end of this month linking it to all the existing nodes at DHHs and three medical colleges
■ The node would offer high-speed connectivity to the tune of 1 mbps
■ The node is being established by CDAC under the OTN Phase III expansion plan
■ The personnel can attend the programmes sitting at their own DHH without having to travel to the SIHFW
