Telemedicine launched at AKUH

Karachi Hospital Provides Medical Expertise to Children's Hospital in Kabul

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Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Karachi and French Medical Institute for Children (FMIC) in Kabul , Afghanistan , were linked through an innovative Telemedicine link on June 20, 2007. Using modern technology and communications linkages, Cisco and Roshan have created a partnership with Aga Khan University Hospital , Karachi (AKUH, K) through which CT Scan and X-ray images can be diagnosed, interpreted and treatment suggested from Karachi.

FMIC is an 85-bed paediatric hospital managed by AKUH under a partnership between the French and Afghan governments, the Aga Khan Development Network and La Chaine de L'Espoir, a French humanitarian organisation.

President Aga Khan University (AKU), Firoz Rasul said that this was “a milestone for the University, as we enter into the age of telemedicine. From the beginning for us, access to all sections of society is crucial, both financially and physically.  Financially, we have welfare funding for patients who are indigent and cannot afford to pay and a large percentage of our patients benefit from these funds.  Care is never denied because of a patient's inability to pay.  Physically, access is provided by outreach centres such as the laboratory collection facilities in 5 localities of Kabul that provide easy access to residents....” 

The tele-medicine link is also a form of access. In this case to the knowledge and expertise from Karachi for the benefit of the patients in Kabul.

The Telemedicine project brings-in leading global communication technology firm Cisco and Afghanistan 's leading telecommunication operator, Roshan. Using state-of-the-art broadband technology and wireless video consultation and digital image transfer, the project also represents an important collaborative effort between Pakistan and Afghanistan to address regional health care needs.

This telemedicine link will expand into pathology and even clinics and will connect Karachi and Kabul to serve other hospitals in Pakistan and Afghanistan , and around the world to draw on the best minds and knowledge.

Inaugurating Telemedicine in Kabul , Minister of Communications, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan , Mr Amirzai Sangin said that telemedicine would help underpin efforts to meet the nation's other development challenges.

CEO of Roshan, Karim Khoja, stressed that Telemedicine would help build and sustain Afghanistan's health care capacity through sharing of expertise and patients will benefit from international knowledge without the need to travel abroad to visit specialists.

Cisco regional marketing head, David Seda expressed his organisation's commitment to quality health care and developing technologies that enable the networking of health information.

Aga Khan University is committed to harnessing the power of technology and human ingenuity to improve the delivery of health care.

President Rasul’s speech at the Telemedicine launch at AKU

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