18th Foundation Day celebration of Department of Telemedicine at PGIMER, Chandigarh
The Department of Telemedicine at PGIMER Chandigarh celebrated its 18th Foundation Day on 13th April 2023, held at Kairon Administrative Block, PGIMER. The program was hosted by the Head, Department of Telemedicine Prof. Biman Saikia along with his team of project leaders. The occasion was graced by the online presence of Chief Guest Prof. Meenu Singh, pioneer behind the establishment of the Telemedicine Department at PGIMER, who is currently the Executive Director, AIIMS Rishikesh, along with the esteemed Director of PGIMER, Prof. Vivek Lal, Institute Registrar Mr. Ummed Mathur and other established dignitaries of the institute.
The guest speaker for the event was Dr. Sanjay Sood, Associate Director and Project Director of e-sanjeevani, a tele-consultation service platform developed by CDAC Mohali. All guests were warmly welcomed by Dr. Amit Agarwal, Project Lead, Department of Telemedicine, as Dr. Saikia proceeded to take us on a journey of the department’s progress from its inception in 2005 till date. He discussed the academic activities such as ‘Tele-CME’ and ‘Tele-CPC’ he;d at PGIMER, which are telecasted weekly throughout medical centres in India, the modern technology innovations such as ‘Tele-ECG’ and ‘Tele-spirometer’ and relayed the success stories of the department as a Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence in health care, and as a newly designated Centre of Excellence for Tele-pathology.
The projects currently being pursued by the team include ongoing work on advances in the field like ‘Tele-FROZEN’ services, expansion of ‘Tele-PICU’ and many more. Prof. Meenu Singh also talked about the activities going in the Telemedicine department at AIIMS Rishikesh such as initiation of 24/7 ‘Heli-ambulance services’ and ‘Tele-drone’. Prof. Vivek Lal appraised the work and progress of the Department of Telemedicine at both institutes, especially the ‘Tele-consultation’ services being offered at PGIMER through e-sanjeevani platform and the larger benefits of ‘Tele-evidence’ to doctors and consultants across the nation.
He mentioned the positive impact of ‘Tele-consultations’ by saying “A doctor can examine a patient residing in remote regions without physically travelling to the patient, and a person in a rural location can consult with a specialist without travelling to the expert, which is an excellent service and innovation in terms of providing easily accessible health care”. Dr. Sanjay Sood from CDAC Mohali briefly discussed the success and popularity of e-sanjeevani platform. He said about 1.5 crore consultations have been provided to patients all over India till date, which is now incorporating AI applications and the ‘Bhasini’ app developed by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, as it will help in eradicating the language barrier between patients and doctors. Registrar Mr. Mathur addressed the importance of Telemedicine and AI in India’s health care scenario, with factors such as drastic increase in population and the ever-rising demand of medical professionals.
Prof. Lal also interacted with the Tele-consultants at length and ensured them about strengthening the resources allocated to the Telemedicine Department at PGIMER Chandigarh. At the end of the event, Prof. Nusrat Shafiq, presented a humble vote of thanks to all guests and organizers, with special mention to the undying support provided by Director, Prof. Vivek Lal and Prof. Meenu Singh in the pivotal progression of the department.
