In one of my previous posts I gave a brief overview of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and the Internet and how these tools can be used or adapted in Papua New Guinea to deliver health services to rural areas in PNG. And I mentioned telepathology and telehealth.
Given the geography of Papua New Guinea – rugged terrain, no proper roads, isolated island communities and some in the remotest parts of PNG like my home province, Enga; I think ICT and Internet are very useful tools for health services to rural PNG. I have therefore decided to embark on a personal journey to research the various ICT tools and take a more indepth look into telehealth, telepathology, e-health and other morden technologies that are being used to delivery health services to remote communities around the world. I will also try and explore some of the current ICT that are at the research and developmental stage that are either specifically developed for such things as e-health or those that I think as an application in telehealth/telemedicine or e-health.
So starting next week I will write a serious of articles on the above things I just outlined.
I am also thinking of asking some of my friends whom I consider experts in ICT to be guest blogers and give their insight into applications of ICT in delivering health services to remote areas in PNG. If you would like to contribute to these serious of articles why not email me and let me know. I assure you no one will be turned away. I have not decided on the name of the serious of articles yet.
It’s good to have guest blogers because I think it adds variety to your blog and gives new perspective on issues that you yourself might have overlooked. So firstly I would like to do justice and be fair to visitors to my blog by inviting those who comment on my blog to be guest blogers.
I promise to put the first aricle out next Monday and will try and put an article a day until I have explored all ICT tools that are used in telehealth.
Pacific Family Health Journal 
I just discovered your blog through google alerts .. great site!
In case you are interested, the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, Solomon Islands, has been regularely using telemedicine over the past years. It started with a telepathology link in 2001 with the University of Basel, but today the network includes consulations in Orthopedic Surgery, Radiology and other disciplines.
They have their own telemed portal
– http://telemed.ipath.ch/solomons/
And here an article about the telepathology system:
– http://ipath.ch/site/node/254
Thanks Kurt.
A collegue of mine, a pathologist, currently working in Honiaria told me about their telepathology system some years back. I just go interested in this system after arriving in Japan.
By the way, thanks for the links.
Excessing emails at rural health facilites.
I am aware of the services of internet using the VHF radio networks with CRMF (Christian Radio Missionary Fellowship). Most of the rural health facilities in the country have the health radios installed and utilizing that network internet can be accessed. The Baptist Health Services in Kompiam are currently excessing internet using that mode.
Otherwise the government of the day will have to intervene to see the benefits of telehealth for its entire citizens.
Just my thought.
WOW! Didn’t know you could acess the internet using the VHF network. That creates many possibilities for telemedicine in PNG.
Brother RI,
Nice blog of yours. Keep it up. Blogs are good ways that are inexpensive to absorb and lure content like the wikipedia portal from critics and supporters alike. Someone mentioned your blog so I tried it out. Pretty good stuff.
On the subject of telemedicine, as a professional in telecommunications, in PNG all I can say is that we are sitting on a bubble that is about to burst, give it time and the right guidance and the rural block will open up. That is where our 80 % reside.
Thanks for the compliment. Will try to continue writing about interesting and the occasional controvesial issues.