Media statement

Telemedicine specialists meet in Cape Town to discuss successes and challenges

Experts in the private sector as well as government spokespeople, researchers and academics will attend a telemedicine conference to unpack and provide evidence of what currently works in the field. The conference, which is hosted by the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) and Stellenbosch University, will commence at 16h00 tomorrow afternoon at the MRC.

Although Telemedicine has long been recognized as an effective means to overcome the challenges in rural health settings in South Africa; there has also been a lot of skepticism about the practicalities of the technology. The evidence that will be provided hopes to reveal telemedicine’s achievements and challenges since its inception in 1999.

Jill Fortuin, Director of the MRC Telemedicine & mHealth admits that there have been great achievements by innovative South African IT officers, engineers, health professionals and business enthusiasts. What is sorely lacking is a Telemedicine, Mobile Health and eHealth Strategy. Earlier this year President Jacob Zuma unveiled a Mobile Telemedicine Laboratory in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal. This unit was donated by the Russian Federation to aid in the early detection of illnesses and diseases. This together with the National Health Insurance further emphasized and prioritized Telemedicine.

Government certainly seems to have recognized telemedicine as an enabling tool that could bridge the gap between rural health care and specialist facilities. This year’s conference, the second of its kind, will be attended by the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa;  Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom;  as well as Communications Deputy Minister, Obed Bapela.  The amalgamation of Health, Science and Technology as well as Communication is pivotal to the success of Telemedicine. The conference is also supported by the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth.