Telemedicine Service in Community Clinics

Dhaka, August 2012. Community clinics, located in the rural areas of Bangladesh, already started receiving laptop computers with Internet connection. Around 300 community clinics in different parts of the country have received their laptops. Before 2012 ends, another 3,500 will laptops and by the next year all of the remaining community clinics will be supplied with laptops. Establishment of community clinics is the flagship program of present government. It is planned that there will

be one community clinic for every 6,000 population and a total of 18,000 community clinics will be established with a view to deliver health care service to the rural citizens. The Management Information System is providing laptops to the community clinics to use for multiple purposes, viz., telemedicine, updating local health data, giving health education to citizens and training of health staffs. The laptops have wireless internet connection and in-built web camera and audio system. There is no doctor in the community clinic, where medical advice is be provided by trained Community Health Care Provider. However, some patients visiting community clinics will require consultation from a qualified medical doctor. Telemedicine will help in this regard. A doctor working in the nearby sub-district hospital will provide such video consultation real time. As a result, absence of doctors in community clinics will be fulfilled.