International Telemedicine Aid to Skopje, Macedonia
Regensburg, Germany-June 24, 1999- University of Regensburg Medical Center and its Telemedicine Service Center will establish the first telemedicine connection to Skopje University Medical Center on June 29, 1999. This initiative, R.E.S.C.U. Tele-Helpline, will provide medical expertise via telemedicine to Skopje and surrounding areas. R.E.S.C.U. stands for Regensburg Emergency Service Center at the University.
Telemedicine uses technology to deliver medical services to the point of need. According to Dr. Jay Sanders, President & CEO of The Global Telemedicine Group, "telemedicine encompasses all of the health care, education, information and administrative services that can be transmitted over distances by telecommunications technologies." Telemedicine covers a range of technologies, including telephone, radio, facsimile, modem, and video. It may be conducted in real time, as with interactive video, or asynchronously, for the transmission of text or graphic data, auditory verbal information, still images, short video clips, and full-motion video.
Macedonia's close proximity to Kosovo led to numerous refugees in the area, which subsequently stressed the health care system in Skopje. The establishment of the R.E.S.C.U. Tele-Helpline in the area will work to alleviate some of the stress. The Telemedicine Service Center is also working to find a way to link the refugee camps in Macedonia together and to global expertise. This will require satellite communication as well as international collaboration and support.
The staff at Skopje University Medical Center and its patients can expect full service telemedicine capabilites from the Telemedicine Service Center. These capabilities include: 24 hour access to global expertise of all medical disciplines, data transfer and communication, and videoconferencing. "We intend to bring Skopje University Medical Center up to the level of international telemedicine," says Prof. Dr. Michael Nerlich, Director of the Regensburg Telemedicine Service Center. "This is our way of helping with regional reconstruction," Nerlich added.
Skopje University Medical Center was chosen as a telemedicine site for several reasons: the medical need is significant; the medical center is the closest, most adequately equipped and staffed medical facility to Kosovo; and members of both medical centers have a previous history of collaboration.
Nerlich will give a lecture on the R.E.S.C.U. Tele-Helpline at Skopje University Medical Center on June 29, 1999 at 11:00am. The telemedicine connection will be established at this time and a videoconferencing demonstration will occur. For additional information on telemedicine from the University of Regensburg, visit http://www.rettungszentrum.de or call 0941-944-6844. The above website is only available in German.
Weitere Informationen:
http://www.rettungszentrum.de