Overview Polycom® has contributed to the international success of a self-sustainable telemedicine and e-health programme in Kosovo by helping to rebuild the medical resources of the country. Named the Telemedicine Programme of Kosovo (TPK), the programme has established a network Each telemedicine centre is based on a Polycom room video conferencing system that links to the other telemedicine centres in Kosovo as well as to seven local hospitals, along with links to international medical expertise in well-equipped and resourced hospitals in the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, Graz University, Austria, Regensburg University, Germany, Oslo University, Olso, Norway and more than 20 other universities and hospitals across Europe and the rest of the world. The TPK is the first of many initiatives of this kind to be instigated in underdeveloped countries by The International Virtual e-Hospital Programme “The most significant challenges in implementing the IVeH programme is changing the mindset Since 2001, Dr Latifi and his team, have brought their vision to life by creating a network of The Telemedicine Programme of Kosovo | ||
For instance, the new generation of medical graduates after the war had not seen a patient in a clinic throughout their entire education and medical school classes were being held in the basements of homes. Furthermore, many older professors, surgeons and other doctors had not practiced advanced medicine and/or surgery for more than a decade. This situation severely hindered redevelopment of the healthcare system in Kosovo. To Dr Latifi, telemedicine and medical distance learning were the only practical solutions for developing countries such as Kosovo. Dr Latifi stated: “Kosovo, like so many other countries in the developing world, had a stagnant and underresourced healthcare system that urgently needed a cost-effective and practical solution.” Polycom Powering the Programme The result was the delivery of a high level of medical | Delivering Life-saving Medical Resources Employing the Polycom HD room video conferencing systems, the TPK is able to deliver powerful educational tools to medical personnel at the right time and at the point of learning. As a result, the programme is able to train tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, other healthcare professionals and IT personnel on how to use telemedicine and e-health applications through a series of interactive and hands-on lectures. Likewise, the Polycom equipment is contributing Big Plans for the Future Furthermore, Dr Latifi and his colleagues are driving Dr. Latifi concludes by confirming the replicable nature | |||