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<font face="Tahoma" size=4><b>Telemedicine activities of SDNP
Bangladesh<br><br>
</b></font><font face="Tahoma" size=3>Sustainable Development Networking
Programme (SDNP) of Bangladesh funded by United Nation Development
Programme (UNDP), started its journey of Telemedicine back in January,
2003. In its
1</font><font face="Tahoma" size=2><sup>st</sup></font>
<font face="Tahoma" size=3> phase, a 15 months long “e-Health &
Learning” (e-HL) project was deployed by SDNP, which was partially funded
by the European Commission under the Asia IT&C programme. The project
was coordinated by the Centre for Research of Applications of Telematics
to Organization and Society (CRATOS) of Catholic University in Italy.
University of Birmingham in UK and Bangladesh University of Engineering
and Technology (BUET) in Bangladesh worked as partners. During that phase
several workshops and seminars were held locally and internationally.
Eight seminars were also delivered to Physicians in Dhaka and Mymensing
in Bangladesh.<br><br>
The project built two network segments using point-to-point radio link
with a bi-directional bandwidth of 2 Mbps. The first setup of the segment
was in Dhaka and it connected the SDNP node at BIDS with the Comfort
Nursing Home, covering an air distance of about 8 km. The second one was
established from SDNP node in Mymensingh (120 km away from Dhaka) to a
Community Based Medical College and Hospital (CBMCH), about 6 km away
from Mymensingh node, creating a length of 134 km (including existing 120
km of SDNP backbone) of radio link with 4 hops in between.<br><br>
As a follow up of the telemedicine initiative in Bangladesh, SDNP
Bangladesh has started telemedicine sessions from early August 2005. The
project has arranged several telemedicine sessions since August 2005
using its own infrastructure and manpower. These sessions included real
patients at the remote and with one physician, and one medical expert was
present at the head office to provide suggestions acting as third
opinion. These sessions will continue (every Friday) for each of the
regions of SDNP Bangladesh (Cox's Bazar, Dinajpur, Mymensingh and
Satkhira) throughout the rest of 2005. The activities took place up to
6</font><font face="Tahoma" size=2><sup>th</sup></font>
<font face="Tahoma" size=3> September 2005 are listed below.<br><br>
<i>Activities in Cox’s Bazar (Regional Node of Chitagong
region):<br><br>
</i>In presence of handful number of patients and a local physician,
first ever telemedicine program was held at Cox’s Bazar region on the
5</font><font face="Tahoma" size=2><sup>th</sup></font>
<font face="Tahoma" size=3> of August. One specialist doctor at Dhaka
head office of SDNP delivered medical consultation to those patients in
Cox’s Bazar Regional Node office of SDNP. A real time video conferencing
was used in this session.<br><br>
Second session of telemedicine session in Cox’s Bazar region was held on
26</font><font face="Tahoma" size=2><sup>th</sup></font>
<font face="Tahoma" size=3> of August. As a reminiscent of first session
the second session has held between the regional node and Head Office in
BIDS. Specialized doctor of Dhaka gave away his specialist opinion to the
poor fishermen and patients from that region including Moheshkhali after
having an online discursion with them.<br><br>
Next session for this regional node is scheduled on
23</font><font face="Tahoma" size=2><sup>rd</sup></font>
<font face="Tahoma" size=3> September 2005. According to the local media,
this was a remarkable event for poor and neglected people of that
region.<br><br>
<i>Activities in Satkhira (Regional Node of Khulna region):<br><br>
</i>Like Coxe’s Bazar region, a telemedicine session also held in
Satkhira regional node on
19</font><font face="Tahoma" size=2><sup>th</sup></font>
<font face="Tahoma" size=3> August 2005, in presence of a local physician
in regional node and one specialist physician from Dhaka at Dhaka head
office. Unlike Cox’s bazaar, the conference was interrupted in the
halfway due to Power Failure at Satkhira end and it is rescheduled on
9</font><font face="Tahoma" size=2><sup>th</sup></font>
<font face="Tahoma" size=3> September 2005. in that short session of
19</font><font face="Tahoma" size=2><sup>th</sup></font>
<font face="Tahoma" size=3> August, 4 patients got the consultation.
<br>
And likewise Cox’s Bazaar the response from people was
remarkable.<br><br>
<i>Activities in Dinajpur (Regional node of Rajshahi region):<br><br>
</i>As a program of nationwide telemedicine service, Dinajpur region had
it’s first ever telemedicine session on
2</font><font face="Tahoma" size=2><sup>nd</sup></font>
<font face="Tahoma" size=3> September 2005. The session went for two
hours. A Specialist physician in Dhaka head office of SDNP gave free
medical consultation to four patients in Dinajpur Regional node of SDNP
after having a video conferencing with physician. Two physicians from
Dinajpur Medical College Hospital have assist to carry out the program in
the regional node.<br><br>
All the above events were attended by local press club's journalists and
were highly appreciated by the local media.<br><br>
Hakikur Rahman<br>
Project Coordinator<br>
SDNP Bangladesh.<br>
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