Jaroka Telehealth

International Day of Rural Women

2009-07-10T10:16:00.002+06:00

The first International Day of Rural Women was observed on 15 October 2008. This new international day, established by the UN General Assembly on 18 December 2007, recognizes “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.”

More information at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/idrw/index.html

Telehealth- Real-time access to care

2009-07-03T23:27:00.002+06:00

I want to share this excellent video showing several examples of health delivery at a distance and its benefits to patients and staff. After watching, you may want to read an article about the telehealth facility at Craig, which gives some more information and a nursing perspective.

Tell Them (Nation) That We Have SACRIFICED Our TODAY For Their TOMORROW

2009-07-03T22:41:00.007+06:00

As being daughter, grand daughter, niece and wife of defence forces officer, I came across so many stories of devotion & self-sacrifices that have arisen due to the situation in Swat. And every time I break into tears when I think of the families they leave behind. I want to share that how our brave soldiers and brave sons of the soil sacrificed their lives for Pakistan while fighting against Terrorists in Swat. Our soldiers are not only currently engaged in battling the enemy but also in supporting the displaced people of the region who had to migrate due to the conflict. And what else could be done better than sacrificing their own lives.

Few days back, I received a text message from a friend of mine, it was as follows,

“In the vollies of bullets, in the thunder of bombs, there are a few who just do not stop, knowing that they are surrounded by death, knowing that they could leave their wives widows and children orphans, but they just keep on moving because something is pumping in their hearts, and flowing through their veins known as honor, devotion, motivation. Death over surrender. This is why they say ‘Death before disgrace’. Pak Army Zindabad.”
I thought it is a message from any patriot. Later I came to know that I was half right. It was a not just a support message but final will and testament. This was the last message sent by Captain Bilal Zafar aged 26 years. He embraced Shahadat at Dir on 17 May 2009. May Allah rest his soul.

Another incident regarding four SSG heroes came to my knowledge. Those SSG heroes killed eight militants before they were shot. Captured by the TTP’s fake Taliban. Eight Taliban entered their cell with ropes to tie then up for the slaughter. The four heroes, unarmed, engaged the eight terrorists and killed them in mortal combat. Roused by the noise, two terrorists entered the cell armed with weapons and sprayed gunfire over the SSG heroes and they embraced Shahadat. May Allah keep them in Heaven and in His Divine Light. You may read the full story at,

http://pakistankakhudahafiz.wordpress.com/2009/05/18/ssg-heroes-killed-
eight-talibans-before-they-were-shot/

On May 20 Maj Abid Majeed Malik laid down his life during Operation Rah-i-Rast near Matta, in Swat leaving his wife and two children behind. The major fell while trying to evacuate his injured comrades.Just look at the shaheed major's face, fresh and smiling.

“I couldn’t see her like this; I had broken down into tears. My mother was half-living half-dead. I was met with screams of my sister who was out of control of almost everyone. She wasn’t accepting the fact that her love has left her on her birthday. She kept screaming, “You guys are lying to me. He is not dead. He cannot leave me. He promised me to celebrate 93 birthdays with me............ “

These were the feelings of a brother whose sister lost her husband in the Operation ‘Rah-e-Rast’ against Militants in Swat. Capt. Omerzeb, like many soldiers sacrificed his life for the greater good of his nation. Two families were destroyed when one soldier died. 14 hearts wept dry of blood when one heart stopped beating on the 21st of May. All sacrifices in the name of a peaceful, safe, terrorism-free country.

Read more on http://thecurrentaffairs.com/capt-omerzeb-shaheed-a-brave-soldier.html

I would also like to quote an excerpt from a letter by a wife of an officer of the
Pakistan Army currently serving in the Operation Rah-e-Haq, sent to Mr. Zaid Hamid and published on PakistanKaKhudaHafiz.wordpress.com,

“Our soldiers unlike our enemies do not fear death because they know that they are serving for the cause of a nation “PAKISTAN’ which was created in the name of Allah. And because of that, no matter how many hurdles India has thrown in its way, ALLAH HI PAKISTAN KA HAFIZ HAI.”

You may read the full letter of this brave daughter of Islam at,

http://pakistankakhudahafiz.wordpress.com/2009/05/17/letter-from-a-ghazis-wife/

May Allah keep her husband, our brother, and a brave soldier of Islam in His protection and strengthen him to do his duty to the fullest.

These soldiers will always have a special place. We may be silent
and not able to express our thoughts eloquently but that will not diminish the highest regards we have for these men of honor. Our soldiers are doing their part and now its upon us to take it on and give a final brunt. We shall never forgo the sacrifices of our shuhuda!!!

These are few of the stories of Swat operation and we will come to know the full details of the bravery of our brothers, when the air clears. I implore you to do whatever is possible to help our brothers and sisters in the Northern Areas in this hard time. Donate as much as you can to share our IDPs loss and to stand with our brave soldiers who are fighting for a noble cause.

IDP Relief Efforts Update for June 2009

2009-07-02T01:39:00.006+06:00

Since the first week of May 2009, UM Healthcare Trust Hospital has been busy treating thousands of IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) all across rural Mardan and near the border of Buner Districts. We were ably assisted by medical teams from

Overall, we have treated 10,000 patients in our area and distributed free medicines to the IDPs who had fled their homes with no belongings beyond the clothes they were wearing after the breakout of conflict between Taliban and Pakistani army. This is in addition to 5,000 poor and destitute patients from our district whom we also treated during the same time.

CDRS Pakistan
We initially had only one doctor on duty at our Mardan facility but Todd Shea's CDRS was quick to respond to our plea of support and deputed another doctor from their AJK (Azad Jummu and Kashmir) medical facility in Chakar within days of the IDPs influx into Mardan District.

The medical team not only treats patients at our hospital but also setups up medical camps three times a week at various villages surrounding our facility. They have also brought many vital items along with medicines including baby formula milk, toys and emergency equipment.

Disaster Management Center and DRIP
Dr. Nauman Siddiqui (DMC/DRIP), lead a team of doctors to our region which included two female doctors along with medical supplies. Majority of the patients (over 50%) that we treat are females and therefore, lady doctors were extremely critical and vital for providing quality care to females in our area. So far, these are the only female doctors to venture so far out to see patients.

We require more females to volunteer as female patients prefer to see lady doctors to discuss ailments.

DRIP in collaboration with UM Healthcare has also started a free kitchen for 100 people near our facility. Each day a free meal is provided to each IDP. This is the first of its kind free kitchen in the area as government support has so far lagged and not really reached these IDPs.

Edhi Foundation
Edhi Foundation also joined hands with us and has provided us with two ambulances as soon as the crisis began. The population of our area is 165,000 with an additional 100,000 people who are IDPs. Hence, the population has literally doubled in a matter of weeks in our region. For a population of a little over quarter of a million now, these are the only two functional ambulances in the whole region. Hence, they are a vital addition to medical services in our area. So far, they have been involved in saving lives of numerous people including trauma victims from accidents as well war victims with Taliban in Buner.

Edhi Foundation has also taken a step beyond healthcare in providing food rations to the poor and needy. So far Edhi has distributed to over 300 families bags of Atta (wheat flour), ghee (vegetable oil), and daal (lentils). This is also commendable in the absence of government relief which is still lagging behind in the area.

Mumtaz Bakhtawar Memorial Hospital
One of the most critical support that we have gotten is from Mumtaz Bakhtawar who not only brought in critically needed medicines, but for the past many weeks have been holding medical camps in various rural villages around Rustum. They are especially taking their teams to such places where there have been no health services ever provided and the villages are too remote for even ordinary help to reach them. Mumtaz Bakhtawar treat over 200 patients at each of their medical camps near the border of Buner.

NUST
NUST SEECS Students have also played one of the most inspiring role in IDP relief efforts. The students have painstakingly put together over 650 hygiene kits. Over 200 off which they distributed themselves in two villages (Jamder and Jallar) to IDPs.

These hygiene kits contain essential items like Toothbrush/paste, mosquito repellent coils/sprays, water purification tablets, soaps (for hand and clothes washing). Considering that majority of the IDPs are living in unhygienic conditions and many diseases are spreading due to this scenario, these kits are extremely vital for preventing the spread of diseases including malaria, scabies (skin disease), diarrhea and other life threatening ailments.

APPNA
APPNA has also been playing a critical role in this relief operation. They were quick to respond to the crisis and quickly assisted in the procurement of essential medicines for the IDPs. These medicines have been vital in saving lives of thousands of IDPs that we have treated in our area.

Donors and Partners
UM Healthcare Trust is also extremely thankful to all its partners and individual donors who have sent in their donations (in kind and in cash) for us to continue to provide critical services to the poor and needy in our area. With their help, we have also distributed cash, clothes, utensils among other items to the IDPs. We will continue to serve the IDPs and the destitute population in our region till the crisis continues.

Medical Camps by CDRS

2009-06-15T02:06:00.005+06:00

Comprehensive Disaster Relief Services or CDRS has probably one of the most organized and efficient teams in the non-profit sector when it comes to helping and assisting those in need during a disaster. Led by an inspirational and highly motivated American Todd Shea, CDRS has been doing some remarkable work in Azad Jummu and Kashmir (AJK) since 2005 (when earthquake shook and killed over 80,000 people in Northern Pakistan and AJK).

Within a week of the influx of Buner/Swat refugees into Mardan district, Todd's medical team was active and out in the field. Among other destinations, one of their mobile teams made their way to the town of Rustum to our healthcare facility (a few kilometers from Buner border). They are currently based out of our UM Hospital as part of our relief operations in the area. CDRS has not only brought with them much needed medicines but also medical doctors who are treating patients not only at our facility but have setup outreach medical camps in various villages in and around the town of Rustum where refugees are located. Rustum is 200 Km North of Islamabad and an hours drive from the city of Mardan.

In the month of May, they have treated over thousands patients in rural Mardan during various medical camps and at our facility. What's more, each Internally Displaced Person (IDP) treated has been provided with free medicines. The kids have also received toys and mothers given baby formula milk which is required in such dire times.

There are around 100,000 refugees in and around the town of Rustum (the first major settlement outside Buner District enroute to Mardan city). While little or no support (government or otherwise) has reached these refugees yet, CDRS medical services are an exception. They have been from the inception in 44 degrees (110 degrees Fahrenheit) of heat delivering the much needed medical care.

Thank you CDRS for being there with us in the hour of need of the Buner refugees.

NUST Students Distribute Hygiene Kits to IDPs

2009-06-13T14:33:00.009+06:00

NUST SEECS college is always ahead of other universities in innovation, research and now philanthropy in Pakistan. The NUST Social Entrepreneur Club (NSEC), ACM and NVC have banded together to produce Hygiene kits for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in rural Mardan near the town of Rustum; an area which is currently under served by the government and development agencies in regards to relief efforts.

Since Mid May 2009, the students actively collected and put together over 200 hygiene kits for the poor and needy. This past weekend, they distributed them to the refugees in two remote villages namely Jamder and Jallar, six kilometers from the town of Rustum and 200Km north of Islamabad. The kits, as explained on their blog, contained basic hygiene items like Soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, water purification tablets, anti-mosquito coils, and band-aid.

Three of the students, namely Sarfraz, Yusuf, Iftikhar took precious time out of their studies and traveled to our village from Islamabad to distribute these items personally to the IDPs. These kits do not cost much. NUST students estimated that it is no more than PKR 200/Kit. Besides, most of the items on the list are available at home so many students simply donated an item from home to make the kits possible.

To see 19 year old students working closely to put these kits together and then distribute themselves to the poor and needy is a humbling as well as a truly inspiring experience. More of such examples should be followed nation-wide. The students plan to come back in the coming weeks with even more items to distribute including more hygiene kits and food items. So stay tuned for their efforts.

FAST, GIKI, LUMS, IBA and other universities should take heed from this effort and lets hope more such gestures are replicated nation-wide.

Picture Gallery of their efforts can be seen here

NUST Students at UM Hospital

DRIP and DMC Relief Efforts

2009-06-13T04:26:00.010+06:00

In the month of May 2009, we treated thousands of patients all across rural Mardan District and near the border of Buner District. We were ably assisted by medical teams from

Edhi Foundation
CDRS
Disaster Management Center, Abbotabad, Pakistan
DRIP
Mumtaz Bakhtawar Memorial Hospital

Overall, we treated 5,000 patients in our area and distributed free medicines to the IDPs. This is in addition to 2000 poor and destitute patients from our district whom we treated during the same time. We initially had only one doctor on duty at our Mardan facility but Todd Shea's CDRS was quick to respond to our plea of support and deputed a doctor from their AJK medical facility within days of the IDPs influx into Mardan District.

Dr. Nauman Siddiqui, of Disaster Management Center in collaboration with DRIP (Disaster Relief by Irish and Pakistanis) lead a team of doctors to our region which included two female physicians. 50% of the patients that we are treating are females and therefore, these lady doctors were extremely critical and vital for providing quality care to females in our area. We were able to treat over 300 patients in three different villages (Kotarpan, Rustum and Zahidabad) during the medical camp.

DRIP and DMC medical doctors team was back again in our area in June and assisted us in treating another batch of 200+ patients at UM hospital. Once again, DRIP/DMC provided us with free medicines for the IDPs that is helping our doctors continue to provide quality care to the poor. This time round, the team went beyond healthcare in providing food and traditional water buckets (Garha) to the IDPs.

DRIP has also joined hands with us in starting a free kitchen for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and are now preparing meals for at least 100 people daily. This is the first free kitchen of its kind in the area and therefore a significant improvement over the current reliance on local community to feed the IDPs in the area.

We have conducted a survey of IDPs in our area independent of the government. We hired a team of professionals that visited each village and counted IDPs in each home over the course of last few weeks. Over all seven Union Councils were surveyed which are adjacent or near our medical facility.

Survey Conducted by UM Healthcare Trust of IDPs
in adjoining Union Councils

Based on the results of the survey, almost 32,000 IDPs reside close to our facility and rely on us for not only healthcare but other needs. Considering that there is little or no government support or any other international non governmental organization working for these IDPs, and that DRIP/DMC are willing to go beyond just medical relief makes their efforts really unique.

A photo stream of the effort can be seen below
http://picasaweb.google.com/mumtaz.atif/DMCAndDRIPReliefCamp

Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire

2009-06-02T14:59:00.007+06:00

It is very sad to see our brothers being refugees in our own homeland. Tens of thousands of Pakistanis are daily escaping from the killing fields of Swat and other areas. Pakistan is now confronting its largest-ever internal refugee population. By global standards this is the largest refugee issue that has erupted in the last fifteen years.

The refugees are on the front-line of sacrificing for the defense of Pakistan. For now they do not have their daily belongings, no livelihood, no schools,no medical facilities,no normal household comforts, no toilets, no kitchens. According to them it was easy to have a sleep in the sound of bombshells than sleeping in the camps. 'Out of the frying pan into the fire’ would better describe the situation of helpless people called the Internally Displaced People.

The trauma of the refugees is endless. The Swati people, including females and children, reached Mardan with their blistered and swollen feet due to excessive walk but unfortunately they are still awaiting our response.

No coordination mechanism is in place. Every NGO and GO is working in their own style. More families have arrived in the camp but there is no more space for them. There is no body to guide the new comers about other camps established for IDPs.

As a nation what we need is national response to this refugee crisis. We must appreciate the fact that the people of Swat/Malakand as sacrificing on the frontlines for ensuring the security of Quaid-e-Azam’s Pakistan, its citizens, its values, and its Constitution and its state.

Due to this emergency situation in Mardan, our Tele-healthcare team, in collaboration with its stakeholders (NUST, APPNA, UMTrust, among others) has launched a massive healthcare relief effort for the refugees streaming in from the Buner & Swat district.

Our hospital UMTrust is located in Zahidabad at the border of Buner District and therefore, we have seen a huge influx of refugees in our area these past few weeks. In fact, we have estimated close to 200,000 refugees in a 10KM radius of our facility. We have treated our 10,000 patient in rural Mardan in 120 days of regular operations. This number is rising as more IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) cross into Mardan District.

We are also distributing free medicines and extending free healthcare advise and diagnosis to all the IDPs. Our medical staff is making rounds in the area to treat patients on site if they are unable to visit our medical facility in village Zahidabad, which is 4 km from the town of Rustum in NWFP, Pakistan.

In this hour of the need for refugees we need your support as we are running desperately short on medical supplies. No international non-profit is operating in that area and thus their limited resources are under a lot of stress.

A photo stream of our efforts can be seen here at View Pictures of Buner Refugees

The list of required items can be seen at: list

Please donate generously to the cause at UMTrust or at Tele-healthcare.

IDP Relief Updates

2009-06-02T10:58:00.011+06:00

We are sharing some updates that we have accomplished in the recent past regarding IDP relief in rural Mardan district. So far, we are the only non-profit operating around the town of Rustum providing any medical relief. There are an estimated 100,000 IDPs in and around our facility with no doctor or nurse (barring our facility) working in that area.

Medical Relief Camp with DRIP and Disaster Managment Center, Abbotabad

May 16, 2009: we held medical camps for Buner Refugees in collaboration with Disaster Management Center (DMC), Abbotabad and DRIP (DISASTER RELIEF BY IRISH & PAKISTANIS) at various villages around our medical facility in village Zahidabad. A total of over 300 patients were treated. These IDPs were given free medicines. This was the first medical camp in and around are area where over 100,000 IDPs are stranded. No other organization is working in our area for medical relief. All concentration of medical services are in the city of Mardan and not here.

Ambulance Service

May 18:Each day, we encounter numerous patients that need to be operated upon or taken to a bigger medical facility for further treatment. Dr. Noaman Siddiqui (DMC) immediately connected us with Edhi Foundation. The Edhi Foundation has now joined hands with UM Healthcare in providing free ambulance service to the poor and needy including IDPs. So far, each day, these ambulances ferry many injured or seriously ill to the city of Mardan (an hour drive away) to a tertiary care facility for further treatment. Thus saving lives each day.

CDRS Pakistan Medical Relief

May 18: As our urgent call for doctors was sent out, CDRS Pakistan responded by sending us a doctor with medicines to for IDPs. This has reduced our work load (200 patients a day) on one doctor at our facility by 50%. CDRS team also works closely with us in conducting medical camps in and around our facility. So far, we have treated over 1500 patients with their collaboration.

Below is a small video of the IDP relief efforts done by UM Healthcare Trust

Going Beyond Healthcare in IDP crisis

2009-05-24T19:37:00.008+06:00

In this time of crisis where millions of people in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in Pakistan have been rendered homeless, UM healthcare is embarking on a much bigger mission and objective than its original mandate. With the influx of over hundred thousand refugees in close proximity to our medical facility in village Zahidabad (located close to the border of Buner District with Mardan), we are now even assisting them in securing food rations, shelter and even clothings.

In 2004, we had setup UM Healthcare Trust with the mission to provide affordable and low cost medical services to the poor and needy in Pakistan. In 2005, we added Pakistan's first rural Tele-health comprehensive services to our mandate. And now, when two million people are rendered homeless in their own homeland, we are tasked with extending other services to the refugees. One of the reasons for going beyond is because of little or no support from the government and the non-profit sector in our area of operations. Since the crisis began, only one or two relief agencies have setup token presence in our area. With the result, we are left with no choice but to fill the huge gap left in the relief operations.

We are in the process of forming strategic alliances with other organizations working in disaster relief. So far, Edhi Foundation and individuals like you have come forward to help us distribute food rations and clothings to these IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons). Edhi Foundation, this past Wednesday (May 20, 2009) distributed 170 bags of wheat to needy families that we had identified working with the local community leaders. Doctors for Relief of Irish and Pakistan (DRIP) have also stepped forward to collaborate with us on a first regular free kitchen for the IDP community. At the same time, UM healthcare, with the help of the community, recently setup a lunger (free kitchen) for the displaced where they could come and eat as much as they want all day long.

We also have taken in-kind donations (clothing, shoes and utensils) and distributed them to the displaced refugees, especially kids. Clothing is highly central to relief operations as the only clothes they own are the ones they are wearing in which they fled their homes.

In coming weeks, we are working on making this process more streamlined and structured, whereby such services could be offered to the community on a regular and sustainable basis.

Many thanks to our partners and collaborators Edhi Foundation (Ambulance service, food rations), APPNA (medicines), Disaster Management Center Abbotabad (Medicines & Medical Camp), DRIP (Medical Camp and food rations), CDRS (Medical Camp and medicines), Mumtaz Bakhtawar Memorial Trust Hospital (Medicines and Medical Camp) and ordinary citizens who are helping and collaborating with us to achieve our ambitious goals.

At the same time, since May 9, 2009 (in two weeks), with close collaboration with our partners have treated over 4,000 IDPs in our area free of cost and given them free medicines. Hence, we are still focused on our original goals and objectives but have expanded them to achieve even better results.

Edhi Free Ambulance Service at UM Hospital

2009-05-23T14:30:00.012+06:00

Sometimes little things can make a big impact. Our small hospital (UM Hospital), which is nothing more than an OPD (Out patient facility), in rural village of Zahidabad (Mardan District) and treats around 150 patients a day, occasionally, receives serious trauma cases. In the past, we would do minor ER and then refer the patients to a bigger hospital in the city of Mardan (an hour drive away). But last week, Edhi Foundation changed all that.

Today, was one of those days when we received many seriously injured patients from a near fatal accident a few kilo meters from our hospital. Our two doctors on duty (one of them is here as a volunteer provided by CDRS Pakistan to assist in Buner and Swat IDP relief) and their support team had to stop their standard operations to handle four trauma cases on urgent basis.

Dr. Qasim and his team managed to get the patients stable and then were quickly loaded in the two ambulances, available through Edhi Foundation, and sent to the city for further investigation and treatment. Our paramedics accompanied the injured through the long journey. Cases like these are now able to avail free ambulance service to the city in a proper vehicle with paramedics on board. In the past, we would simply order a taxi and load the injured into it before sending them off to the city on their own.

Faisal Edhi, the son of famous Abdus Sattar Edhi, took personal notice of our plight and extreme remoteness from the city centers. This situation was made worse with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) in our area from Buner and Swat due to the war on terror waged by Pakistan Army against Taliban, an ambulance service was not only needed but required on urgent basis. Therefore, on May 16, 2009, Edhi Foundation and UM Healthcare Trust took it upon themselves to setup the first twenty four hour free amblulance service in this remote part of Pakistan. These ambulances are totally free and all costs are borne by the Edhi Foundation. Each day, they ferry seriously ill and injured from one point to the other regardless of their caste, creed or financial condition.

This is probably the first time in the history of this region (Sudham Valley) that any kind of regular Ambulance service is made available to the local community and that too free of cost. Considering that almost 200,000 people live in this area and majority live on two dollars a day or less, this is surely a great gift from Edhi Foundation.

UM Healthcare is now treating over 200 patients a day off which almost half are IDPs who are treated free of cost. This number is rising daily due to the huge influx of refugees from Swat and Buner vallies.

Relief Efforts for Buner & Swat Refugees

2009-05-12T18:17:00.007+06:00

UM Healthcare Trust in collaboration with NUST, APPNA and other stake holders has begun a massive healthcare relief effort for refugees streaming in from Buner and Swat.

Currently, we are treating atleast 60 patients a day who are refugees. This number is rising as more IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) cross into Mardan District.

We are also distributing free medicines and extending free healthcare advise and diagnosis to all the IDPs. Our medical staff is making rounds in the area to treat patients on site if they are unable to visit our medical facility in village Zahidabad, which is 4 km from the town of Rustum in NWFP, Pakistan.

There is a dire need medicines and volunteers (doctors, nurses, medical professionals) to keep the service quality at a high level.

Please donate generously to the cause (http://www.umtrust.org/donate).

A photo stream of our activities can be seen at the following address:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mumtaz.atif/BunerRefugees

Who and How Will Telehealth Benefit ?

2009-04-30T10:38:00.005+06:00

The Pakistan health care sector is being transformed to avail improved services to its population. Still larger portion of the population has left to have access of readily available health services. Many attempts (e.g. trainings, encouragement to relocate) have been made in the past but all have failed to fill this gap. The only solution that is able to implement is Tele-healthcare. It bridges the gap between unevenly distributed providers and under served recipients.

Most commonly cited under served population is living in rural areas. People living in cities think that rural areas residents are few in number but in fact, more than half of the population of Pakistan is living in rural areas. For rural area residents,health services are simply far away to be utilized, Tele-health can be their link to better health services.

Yet another population that tele-health can help build a connection to people living in areas geographically isolated from health services.

Distance can be a temperory situation. As we see military personnel typically have ample access to services when they reside on base. But the situation changes when they move abroad or in the field. To keep them in touch with their medical advisors all the time, tele-health is a good solution.

Another isolated population is prisoners. The number of prisoners has continued to increase over the last few years and shows no sign of abatement. Among the many health problems are the numerous cases of infectious diseases and numerous prisoners with mental health problems . Surveys indicate that anywhere from 7-15% of inmates have mental disorders, with about a third of these disorders being different kinds of depression.Telehealth services provide a way to efficiently, safely, and more cheaply bridge the gap between health professionals and prisoners.

For groups that are home bound, telehealth is an ideal solution to a complex problem. The elderly are one group that fits this category. The geriatric population is on the rise, and they typically have a higher need for all types of health services. Although many elderly might live in an urban area, their infirmities often make it difficult to travel even short distances and many are home bound. Distance technologies can help to address this problem in a way no other solution can.

Elderly are not the only population who are isolated because of medical reasons. Several specific mental disorders, such as agoraphobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, keep people isolated and bound to their home or a relatively small geographical area. As is the case with the elderly, telehealth provides a way to intervene in a situation that normally would probably go untreated. In fact, this technology might actually provide a better way to facilitate the treatment of these disorders than a typical face-to-face delivery mode. One of the more empirically validated types of treatments for phobias is systematic desensitization . Telehealth technologies would enable professionals to intervene at a less intrusive level and systematically desensitize the client through not only mediating less intrusive communication technologies, but computer modeling and virtual reality technologies as well. In this case telehealth may not only provide a more effective way of reaching the patient but also of treating the patient.

Telehealth helps to redistribute services to a wider variety of people and reach populations that have formerly been under served. Tied into these two objectives is a decrease in costs. Telehealth increases costs in terms of equipment and connection fees, but decreases costs in other less obvious ways. Opportunity costs, such as travel time and lost work due to travel, are decreased for both consumers and providers. Costs of specialized services are reduced due to increased access and a lesser need to retain a specialist in an area where they might not have been fully utilized. Telehealth, because of its increased ease of access and decreased opportunity costs, increases the likelihood that a consumer will seek treatment earlier. Earlier treatment often leads to greater prevention and reduced long term care costs . . All of these points suggest that telehealth might provide a viable solution to the problems of distribution of resources, unequal access, and escalating costs.

ISIF grants funding for ICT development in Asia

2009-04-16T14:55:00.007+06:00

Wednesday 15 April 2009 | 02:35 PM CET

The Information Society Innovation Fund (ISIF) plans to fund eleven projects in eight countries to extend ICT infrastructure services. These projects showcase uses of ICT, such as mobile-based tele-healthcare, forensic investigation infrastructure, localised e-mail for tele-centres and the establishment of a national high-speed backbone. The organisations which received funding include The Internet Education and Research Laboratory, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand; The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the National University of Science and Technology, Pakistan; The University of Colombo School of Computing, Sri Lanka; The Bac Ha International University, Vietnam; One Destination Centre, Indonesia; Punjabi University, India; Nepal Research and Education Network, Nepal; The Department of Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka; SynapseHealth, The Philippines, Horizon Lanka Foundation, Sri Lanka and AirJaldi Networks, India. The ISIF is a partnership programme between the Canadian International Development Research Centre, the Internet Society and the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), with support from the DotAsia organisation. The first round of funding occurred in late 2008 with each successful project receiving up to USD 30,000 to be used in 2009. In the next round, ISIF will support up to ten projects with grants up to AUD 400,000. The projects will be selected this year to receive funding and implement the projects in 2010. All the details of the new call for applications are available on the ISIF web site. Applications should be submitted by 31 July 2009.

source : www.telecompaper.com

You can view the same information in detail at http://isif.asia/groups/isif/wiki/29f18/ISIF_grants_program_%E2%80%98kick-starts%E2%80%99_local_innovation_in_the_Asia_Pacific.html

China plans to bring basic healthcare to all ...

2009-04-16T09:30:00.004+06:00

Healthcare is the No.1 concern among Chinese, ranking above security, education and even employment. Now the Government has unveiled a 10-year plan aimed at bringing affordable medical services to even the poorest farmer and calming rising public anger.

The government will invest 850 billion yuan (£85 billion) between 2009 and 2011 to bring healthcare to 90 per cent of the 1.3 billion Chinese.

The move comes after the government was alerted by a report that was published by a think tank that branded the system a failure and warned of “severe public criticism of the Government if it did not act.”

Like the U.S., there are reports of Chinese families suffering immense hardships due to illnesses which have either wiped out savings or have left those sick with inadequate treatment.

read the full story at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6056121.ece

IBM, Google and Continua Health Announce Alliance for Personal Health Records

2009-04-16T09:26:00.003+06:00

IBM (NYSE:IBM), in collaboration with Google and the Continua Health Alliance, announced software that will enable personal medical devices used for patient monitoring, screening and routine evaluation to automatically stream data results into a patient’s Google Health Account or other personal health record (PHR). According to the release, once stored in a PHR, the data can also be shared with physicians and other members of the extended care network at a user’s discretion.

To read the full press release, visit http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/26603.wss

Things You Don't Want to Hear During Surgery!

2009-04-16T09:24:00.000+06:00

FIRE! FIRE! Everyone get out now!
And now we remove the subject’s brain and place it in the body of the ape.
Don’t worry. I think it’s sharp enough.
Uh-oh.
I don’t know where that came from! Just put it over there.
Better crank up that anesthesia.
I don’t think that was supposed to come off.
Gonna have to stop here, his insurance won’t pay for the rest.
Well, it’s five o’clock! We’ll just put this off till tomorrow.
Hey... ...maybe the janitor knows what this is.

QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK YOUR DOCTOR !

2009-04-15T17:10:00.001+06:00

Today, patients take an active role in their health care. You and your doctor will work in partnership to achieve your best possible level of health. An important part of this relationship is good communication. Here are some questions you can ask your doctor to get your discussion started:

About My Disease or Disorder...

What is my diagnosis?
What caused my condition?
Can my condition be treated?
How will this condition affect my vision now and in the future?
Should I watch for any particular symptoms and notify you if they occur?
Should I make any lifestyle changes?
About My Treatment...

What is the treatment for my condition?
When will the treatment start, and how long will it last?
What are the benefits of this treatment, and how successful is it?
What are the risks and side effects associated with this treatment?
Are there foods, drugs, or activities I should avoid while I'm on this treatment?
If my treatment includes taking a medication, what should I do if I miss a dose?
Are other treatments available?
About My Tests...

What kinds of tests will I have?
What do you expect to find out from these tests?
When will I know the results?
Do I have to do anything special to prepare for any of the tests?
Do these tests have any side effects or risks?
Will I need more tests later?
Understanding your doctor's responses is essential to good communication. Here are a few more tips:

If you don't understand your doctor's responses, ask questions until you do understand.
Take notes, or get a friend or family member to take notes for you. Or, bring a tape-recorder to assist in your recollection of the discussion.
Ask your doctor to write down his or her instructions to you.
Ask your doctor for printed material about your condition.
If you still have trouble understanding your doctor's answers, ask where you can go for more information.
Other members of your health care team, such as nurses and pharmacists, can be good sources of information. Talk to them, too.

Remote Patient Monitoring Improves Outcomes According to New Study

2009-04-15T17:03:00.003+06:00

Remote patient monitoring technology enables healthcare providers to treat patients before their conditions becomes more acute, according to a new study from the Spyglass Consulting Group. According to the study, remote monitoring not only saves unnecessary trips to the emergency department but prevents re-admissions to the hospital. An estimated 97 percent of healthcare organizations rely on remote patient monitoring to improve clinical outcomes for critically ill patients, the study says.

Trends in Remote Patient Monitoring 2009 is a follow-up to the Spyglass Consulting Group's 2006 report on the same topic. Spyglass is based in Menlo Park, Calif.

"Early adopters of remote patient monitoring solutions are capitated managed care organizations having fiscal responsibility for their patients across the continuum of care," said Gregg Malkary, managing director of Spyglass. "These organizations include health maintenance organizations, integrated delivery systems, home health agencies, hospices, disease management companies and government agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs."

Among the key findings are:

Forty-eight percent of healthcare organizations interviewed have funded home telehealth initiatives themselves. A strong return on investment exists for healthcare delivery networks serving as provider and payer, including such organizations as Kaiser Permanente and the Veterans Administration.

Convergence with consumer electronics products enables patients to use devices with which they are already comfortable, including smart phones, personal computers and cable boxes. Prices for remote patient monitoring devices and associated peripherals need to drop from several thousand dollars to less than $500 per unit before healthcare organizations will make further investments to support their patients with other chronic diseases.

Healthcare payers are resistant to providing reimbursement for remote patient monitoring despite evidence of their efficacy by the Veterans Administration, which has deployed more than 35,000 units. Healthcare payer reimbursement is focused on a healthcare delivery model ill-equipped to address the needs of an aging Baby Boomer population with chronic illness. Payers reward healthcare providers for the quantity of the procedures performed rather than the quality of care delivered.

(Source: Health IT News, March 24, 2009)

Health And FuN -- The Playpump

2009-03-27T17:41:00.005+05:00

The Playpump – innovation and inspiration conspire to solve myriad problems

In Africa several play ground merry go rounds ,known as play pumps, have been installed at schools which not only bring recreation , and joy to several children but also help them provide safe drinking water. It is basically a windmill , using energy of children rather than wind.

"PlayPumps International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and their families by providing access to clean drinking water, enhancing public health, and offering play equipment to millions across Africa."

This helpful innovative idea can be used in villages and cities of every country, installing these playpumps not only in schools but in parks and public playgrounds can help more people.

For more details : http://www.gizmag.com/the-playpump--innovation-and-inspiration-conspire-to-solve-myriad-problems/10854/

Water-Borne diseases

2009-03-27T17:25:00.004+05:00

Water-Borne diseases :-

Water borne or faecal-oral diseases are caused by micro-organisms present in human and animal waste , when they enter human body via mouth. So it can be due to contaminated water, or through dirty hands, clothes (or towels) ,food or materials or things used for cooking (e.g. unclean utensils or plates ) , eating or drinking.

Rarely, but they can also enter human vody through eyes, nose or open wounds. Even uncovered food or drinking water can cause it. Contaminated soil, or by insects (like flies) and animals or improper sewage system. These diseases are infectious , meaning they can spread from person to person. Proper hygiene and sanitation can stop them.

Diseases common in Nepal:-

In Nepal the most common water borne disease include

Typhoid fever
Giardia
Dysentery
Cholera
Diarrhoea
Hepatitis
Polio
Worms

Hazards:-

Lowers body resistance to infection and disease.
Causes fatal ilnesses.
Lowers body's intake of nourishment causing Malnutrition.
Increases Health expenditure.
Hampers individual and social education and development.

Prevention:-

improving quality of water
water chlorination
improving access to clean water and safe sanitation
promoting hygiene education
exclusive breast-feeding
improved weaning practices
immunizing all children; especially against measles
proper maintainence of water pumps and wells
proper use latrines
proper/sanitary disposal of human and animal waste
keeping food and water clean by covering and using clean hands and utensils
washing hands with soap (the baby's as well) before touching food

Source :- http://www.irc.nl/page/8904

Health & Water

2009-03-27T16:03:00.002+05:00

Do you know ?

March 22nd is "World Water Day"
Dirty water causes Cholera, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Parasites, Typhoid
These Diarrhoeal diseases kill around 2 million children each year- 5,000 per day, and million more to fall ill. Because children are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of dirty water in emergencies such as natural disasters and conflicts. [UNICEF]
Dirty water kills 4000 children a day
Water-borne diseases are one of the major cases of under-5 mortality, along with pneumonia, malaria, and measles [UNICEF]
5 million people are killed each year due to water related diseases = 10 times the people killed in wars
The greatest developmental failure of 20th century = failure of safe water provision

Adverse Human Health Effects due polluted water are divided into 4 major groups;

[Source : http://www.wateryear2003.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=1600&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html ]

Water-borne diseases

cholera, typhoid, bacillary disentry, polio, meningitis, hepatitis A and E and diarrhoea, among others. These are caused by contamination of water by human, animal, or chemical wastes.

Water-based diseases

Guinea worm disease, filariasis (also a vector disease), paragonimiasis, clonorchiasis and schistosomiasis. These diseases are caused by a variety of flukes, tapeworms, roundworms and tissue nematodes, often referred to as helminths, that infect humans

Water-related vector diseases

Malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, sleeping sickness and filariasis. These are caused by vectors such as Mosquitoes and tsetse flies

Water-scarce diseases

Trachoma and tuberculosis. These are caused when freshwater is scarce and sanitation is poor.

Watch : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEnlrE4iMBU

Women Health Volunteers (WHV) of Iran

2009-03-25T19:44:00.006+05:00

In Tehran lowcost basic health care is delivered by women volunteers, which is as tonic for Iran's economy. These Lady Health Workers are part of a vast network, comprising of 100,000 women known as "Women Health Volunteers"(WHV) since 1991 and has been supported by WHO and UNICEF

They help government in spreading the word of health and hygiene. With the help and support of these women, Tehran has been able to show excellent primary care and sanitation results.

To share a few statistics

Vaccination rate is 100%, proper access to clean water , and 80 % of pregnant women are examined 3 times during their pregnancy.

According to Dr. Hossein Malek-Afzali, there has been not a single polio case in Iran for over 8 years.

More over the women participating in the WHVs were simple ladies from neighbourhood trained for a weekin health centers and sent out to educate 50 families, mostly their own and neighbors.

These WHVs have alao been successful in educating the families about various health and hygiene issues needed there such as the importance of use of iodized salt and family planning, bringing birth rate from 6 to 2 children.

These Health workers also test water and inspect hygiene at places like schools, bakeries, hair salons and grocery stores. Although primary and secondary care is available ,but the major challenges that remain are ; provision of surgical and inpatient care, cardiovascular diseases due to polluted air and smoking among men, drug addiction is another major problem.

Source : The TIME , Annual Special Issue [23 March, 2009] [Tehran's Health Patrol]

Home Fitness Gadgets

2009-03-25T19:19:00.003+05:00

With gadgets like Bodybugg and iNewLeaf people are willing to sweat and pay high prices for them , to avoid the fatigue of joining gyms and fitness clubs.

Bodybugg measures your calorie expenditure, while comapring consumed vs. expended. It uses a set of sensors that give you a 90% accurate calorie estimate by following an algorithm, which uses quantities [body heat , motion and sweat ] measured 32 times/sec .

iNewLeaf works with Smheart Link , a cigratte lighter sized gadget. It uses many fitness routines pegged your heart rate.

Source : The TIMES [March 9, 2009][time.com/fitnessgadgets]

BioBanks

2009-03-24T01:04:00.003+05:00

In the latest The TIME Magazine Annual Special Issue , in the article " 10 ideas that are changing the world Right Now" , idea number eight was "BioBanks". Unlike many of you assuming it to be place to store your organs like kidneys , which obviously can't be done with present technology, for future use or saving money to get a organ translpant in the future, it is basically a research institute. So "Relax --it's not your MONEY they are after. It's your BLOOD" More spooky , I presume.

Well, according to the article -- not at all! Its more like an organic bank account. National Cancer Institute (NCI) are heading up an effort to establish the U.S.'s first national biobank . They aim to store tissue samples, tumor cells, DNA and even blood for the purpose of research for finding new remedies and cures for diseases. By comparing the DNA's of both affected and unaffected people , researchers can track and hunt down that problematic gene profile .

Since you put in your biomaterial, the reward is also in the form of knowledge and therapies that grow out of that deposit -- hence no monetary reward . But the potential benefit from the accumulated data at some later stage, which not only help u but many other affected with the same disease.

However , the key challenges in this idea are ; firstly maintaining account holders' privacy and limited access with individual's consent and secondly, the ease or comfort with which an individual will share its bio-info , like DNA for instance ,with an organization.