Internet health care opens to patients in Gia Lai

An internet treatment project to aid patients suffering from serious conditions who are unable to seek treatment at large hospitals is being piloted in a co-operative venture between Gia Lai Province\'s Health Department and HCM City\'s Information and Communications Department.

The Gia Lai General Hospital in the Central Highlands is one of four hospitals nationwide taking part in the pilot project.

The internet health service was developed after several critical patients died during transport to larger hospitals, reported the province\'s health department.

Leading doctors from HCM City-based hospitals including Paediatric Hospital No 1, Tu Du Obstetric Hospital and the Trauma and Orthopaedic Hospital conduct examinations and consultations, and instruct local doctors on proper treatment via a large screen connected to the internet.

A 27-year-old woman who was struggling through a stillbirth was rescued thanks to the internet treatment service under instructions from doctors at the Tu Du Hospital. The case was one of the initial successes in the first two months of the pilot project.
Deputy Director of the Gia Lai Hospital Bach Anh Hung said the internet treatment service created new opportunities for critical patients in the province.