Programme Summary:
The Tygerberg Children's Hospital and Rotary Telemedicine Project in South Africa uses computers and email to link specialists from Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town to doctors in more remote community or district hospitals in an effort to improve health care in rural areas. The system currently links Tygerberg with Eben Donges Hospital in Worcester, Clanwillaim Hospital and Paarl Hospital, which are 100km, 250km, and 100km from Cape Town, respectively.
Development Issues:
Health, ICTs.
Key Points:
The Telemedicine Project was initiated for two main reasons: budget cuts to Tygerberg hospital meant that more patients needed to be treated at the district level and many members of the community could not afford the costs associated with going to the hospital. There is a demand for doctors at the district level to treat patients that require special attention or diagnosis that is beyond their training. Tygerberg Hospital specialists must support these doctors but usually do not have time to vist them on-site.
The initiative has assembled off-the-shelf computer equipment and software that is more affordable than commercial telemedicine systems. The projects also involves ongoing training and close consultations with users.
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