KABUL (SW): A letter of Understanding was signed by the Ministry of Communication and Technology (MoCT) and the of Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) aimed at remotely connecting government hospitals with other hospitals in the major cities across the country.
Abdul Razaq Wahidi, Minister of Communication and Technology said on the occasion that an agreement was reached on connecting 30 hospitals in the country through an electronic platform called Tele Medicine. Ferozuddin Feroz, Minister of Public Health said on the occasion that the hospitals in big cities would be the first to benefit from these services and in the near future all hospitals in the country would be included the program.
The move is likely to expedite the service delivery and streamline the fragile health sector in the country. The fact that only some major cities are incorporated in this pilot project means most parts of the country would still have to wait.
“It is true that this system will not work in the remote areas in the first phase but in every province there is a central hospital that can be connected with the system where patients can go and ask for doctors’ advices or even send their examinations to the related doctors and specialists.” He said.
He added that the MoPH was planning to connect Afghanistan’s hospitals with Pakistan, India and Turkey through via information technology as well.
According to the MoPH figures, Afghan patients spend at least 300 million $ a year for their treatment in foreign countries.
ENDS.
