In a first, Ramesh Hospitals inaugurates Tele-ICU centre in Vijayawada

The centre enables remote monitoring of critically ill patients in hospitals and homes by specialist doctors round the clock

National Health Authority Director Kiran Gopal Vaska and other officials at the Tele-ICU centre inaugurated in Vijayawada on Sunday. | Photo Credit: G.N. Rao

Ramesh Hospitals has opened a first-of-its-kind Tele-ICU centre, 'Cloud Docs Ramesh', in the city on Sunday.

National Health Authority Director Kiran Gopal Vaska, along with Special Secretary (Health) G.S. Naveen Kumar, KMCH Cardiology division head Thomas Alexander, and GVKEMRI’s Emergency Medicine Learning Centre and Research director G.V. Ramana Rao, inaugurated the centre.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Naveen Kumar and Mr. Kiran Gopal highlighted the need for digitisation in the healthcare sector.

Mr. Naveen Kumar said Andhra Pradesh had been at the forefront of implementing digital initiatives in the healthcare sector. He said lack of digitised health records was not letting healthcare professionals innovate.

Electronic health records (EHR) will make Indian doctors stalwarts in the world in the future, he said. Mr. Naveen said the Health Department introduced smart beds in Guntur Medical College.

Mr. Kiran Gopal said Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) aimed at standardising the entire healthcare system. He said digitisation was happening within organisations, and there was a gap to be filled. Ayushman, which was all about privacy, security and federated architecture, would bring together all the stakeholders, he said.

Mr. Kiran Gopal said Andhra Pradesh was performing well in all the initiatives under ABDM.

Explaining the functions of ‘Cloud Docs Ramesh’, Ramesh Hospitals managing director and chief cardiologist P. Ramesh Babu said the centre would enable remote monitoring of critically ill patients in hospitals and homes by specialist doctors round the clock.

He said only 1,500 doctors were available in the country for every one lakh ICU beds, and the concept of Tele-ICU would help provide intensive care to more patients in need.