Saudi Arabia seeks Bangalore hospital's help for telemedicine centre

Bangalore, March 26 (IANS) Saudi Arabia Monday sought the help of Narayana Hrudayalaya (cardiac hospital) in setting up a telemedicine centre in the kingdom for providing remote healthcare to its citizens.

"The Saudi Arabian government has agreed to extend all facilities in setting up a telemedicine centre at Riyadh for providing immediate medical treatment remotely to its citizens across the desert country," a hospital spokesman told IANS.

The proposal came up for discussion during a visit of a 40-member Saudi youth delegation Monday to the Narayana Hrudayalaya campus on the city's outskirts, led by its Deputy Foreign Minister Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah.

"The minister and the youth evinced keen interest in the satellite-based technology and promised to come up with a proposal soon for opening the first telemedicine centre in the kingdom in collaboration with our hospital," the spokesman said.

As a pioneer in using telecommunications and information technologies to provide clinical healthcare remotely, the privately-run super-specialty cardiac hospital uses telemedicine to administer affordable medical treatment in distant areas across India and overseas spanning the sub-Saharan countries in Africa and in south east Asian region.

"Exposure to the working of telemedicine at our facility and its multiple benefits impressed the medical students in the delegation and the Prince (minister) who discussed its modus operandi with out chairman Devi Prasad Shetty during an interactive session," the official mentioned.

The youth delegation also went around the hospital's sprawling healthcity and had a firsthand account of its paediatric facility where children, including infants, are treated for cardiac ailments.

"At the paediatric ward, the Saudi youth interacted with doctors, house surgeons, nurses and some young patients and enquired about the facilities and the nature of treatment given for heart ailments," the spokesman said.

The youth are on a 10-day forum visit to India since March 22 to promote bilateral relations in the field of science and technology and for a firsthand account of the developments made by Indian institutes and universities.