According to Rotary International, the African country of Nigeria has only one physician for every 2,500 individuals. In rural communities, people seeking health services had to made long, arduous trips to find treatment which results in many not receiving care. While it would be ideal to get more doctors in remote regions, it would take years.
To solve this problem, Dr. James Gude of Sebastool, California and Mikel Cook of the Rotary Club of Sebastopol Sunrise brought technology to bear by using telemedicine. This is the use of information technology to provide health care from a distance - virtually bringing doctors to patients. Thanks to a global grant from TRF, a team of health care professionals from Nigeria has been trained in this process. Telemedicine allows physicians to connect with patients remotely as well as consult with colleagues all over the world. At its simplest, it consists of a chat via online video, but it can also allow a physician to examine a patient remotely using a robot.
Telemedicine technology and training is used in several hospitals around the world, allowing health care for the underprivileged, for the underscored, in remote areas. Your contribution to The Rotary Foundation enables this to happen. Thank you.
