Anambra State Government is to launch Telemedicine, an online method of consultation, prescription and treatment of patients.

 

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, announced this at the Godwin Ezemo International Press Center, Awka, during the September monthly congress of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Anambra state council.

 

Represented by Dr. Uju Okoye of the Anambra State Ministry of Health, Dr. Obidike said the method has been introduced in many developed countries but has not been in existence in Nigeria, noting that the online method of consultation, prescription and treatment of patients will be launched in Anambra in two weeks’ time.

 

According to the Health Commissioner, the Telemedicine method targets hard-to-reach areas of the state, where people lack medical personnel, to help reduce deaths and health crisis people experience due to lack of medical attention.

 

He said with the online method, medical doctors can consult, prescribe and administer treatment to patients in the hard-to-reach areas by speaking directly with and seeing the patients through the nurses at primary health centres via electronic device.

 

He said that very-hard-to-treat cases can be transferred to a bigger hospital closer to a particular area via keke ambulance that would be stationed in all the Primary Health Care Centres across the state.

 

On the distribution of insecticide treated nets carried out recently, Dr. Obidike explained that health ministry is aware that the nets did not get to all households because the Federal Ministry of Health, which facilitated the exercise, supplied the nets according to the number of households captured in the last census, but however said his ministry will send feedback to the Federal Ministry of Health and request for more nets, in order to ensure that every household is covered.

 

He commended journalists in the state, especially the state Chairman of NUJ, Dr Odogwu Emeka Odogwu and his team for working tirelessly to ensure that Ndi Anambra are kept abreast of information on government policies and programmes, describing journalists as partners in nation building.

 

Earlier, the state Chairman of NUJ, Dr Odogwu, thanked the Health Commissioner for identifying with the union, and commended him for playing vital role in ensuring success of the health week held by the union recently.

 

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