Javier Colorado, Vice-Director of Promotion and Prevention at the Ladera Health Network, a non-profit organization in Cali State was at the Las Mercedes Penitentiary in Cartago presenting a pilot healthcare project they are leading.
“We want to introduce a technological healthcare solution with telemedicine,” said Colorado. This consists of specialized virtual medical consultations that patients can access easily, in which an inmate can be assessed by a specialist at the health center in Cali. Waiting periods for medical consults could be as short as 7 days, a large reduction on current periods, which can be as long as 3 months and the system would also avoid the need for physical transfers.
For telemedicine, specialized medical care teams are needed, as the patients’ assessment is sent over the Internet to the medical specialist in real time. “The diagnosis is reliable, as the specialist is a supported by the doctor and the necessary tests and will thus be able to guide the patient’s treatment,” added Vice-Director Javier Colorado.
Karla Liliana Torres, Director of the Penitentiary in Cartago, stated that this would be an opportunity to reduce the congestion of legal proceedings as there are currently around 85 inmates who require different specialties and many of them present petitions and claims in order to gain access to these services.
Cartago and Timbiquí, in the Department of Cauca, could be the pilot municipalities for this medical service. However, the model, which has already been established in other countries in Latin America must be approved by the General Management of Inpec.
Source: http://www.cartagonoticias.com
