The Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare recently unveiled CoNTeC, a COVID-19 National Teleconsultation Centre. As an initiative of AIIMS, New Delhi, this telemedicine hub is intended to facilitate the collaboration of expert doctors nationwide, streamlining their approaches towards treating COVID-19 patients.
The Functioning of CoNTeC
Emanating from AIIMS, New Delhi, CoNTeC provides a platform for medical professionals across various specializations, accessible 24/7. This hub enables doctors from different parts of the country to address and resolve multifaceted medical queries collectively. The primary goal of this facility is to unify the medical fraternity in India to discuss treatment protocols for COVID-19.
CoNTeC utilizes multi-modal telecommunications, allowing two-way audio-visual and text communications, hence making it accessible from anywhere in the world. Furthermore, it offers a standardized patient management advice system in line with the national guidelines and additional protocols developed by the AIIMS team.
Integration with National Medical College Network (NMCN)
In addition, CoNTeC is completely integrated with the NMCN, enabling seamless video conferencing between its National Resource Centre, located at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), Lucknow, and 50 other medical colleges linked to it.
National Medical College Network (NMCN) Scheme
Under the NMCN scheme, 50 government medical colleges are interconnected, with a primary objective of facilitating tele-education, e-learning, and online medical consultation. This is achieved by leveraging the connectivity provided by the National Knowledge Network (NKN).
The NMCN scheme establishes a virtual layer of specialty or super-specialty doctors from these medical colleges. The aim is to provide citizens with online medical consultation facilities, akin to outpatient department (OPD) services, through a web portal.
Standardizing Patient Management Advice
Under the CoNTeC initiative, the advice for patient management is standardized as per national guidelines. The protocols developed by the AIIMS team further supplement this.
The CoNTeC reflects a collective and unified approach to tackle the challenges posed by COVID-19. By bridging the gap between medical professionals, it aims to align their efforts towards delivering effective treatment to patients nationwide.
Source: PIB
