How the Province of Loreto in Perù is using telehealth collaboration and cloud technologies to bring virtual pediatrics to underserved communities.

The initiative aims at fostering the telemedicine system installed during the previous project in Nauta’s Healthcare Centre by offering specific training to the centre’s medical staff and healthcare promoters of the target river communities. Training medical and paramedical staff will translate into an increased offer of the telemedicine service and, as a consequence, into better health conditions among the river communities’ inhabitants. The training offered to healthcare professionals, as well as the beneficiary population’s awareness-raising activities have the aim of converting telemedicine into a daily tool to be used in response to cyclical pathologies affecting the communities.

Telehealth and e-health are providing a means to transform systems of care for children and population throughout the river Amazon by providing greater access to clinical service and consultation, as well as sharing knowledge, education, and training. Leap-frogging over prior barriers, these information and communication technologies (ICT) also have the potential to offer greater access to these services in developing countries.

The use of telehealth must be put in the context of the critical health needs in each country, cultural perspectives, current and future communication infrastructure, other supportive resources, and likelihood for sustainability. Furthermore, these telehealth efforts should be aimed at improving the local capacity in providing ongoing health services in each country and blending into that country’s current and future healthcare system. Fundamental steps in addressing global health issues include reducing poverty, improving education and health promotion strategies, ensuring access to clean water, and investing in sustainable waste removal and renewable energy programs.

Beneficiaries: 7 midwives, 6 nurses, 4 doctors and 10 health professionals of Nauta’s Healthcare Centre. The community beneficiaries are 82 pregnant women, 570 school-age children, 212 children between 0 and 5 years of age, 8 volunteer  healthcare promoters.