Esquema funcional XARXA TELEICTUS CATALUNYA

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Tele-Ophthalmology Eye-Health system deployment
in Kolda, Senegal
From Eye-Health Project to Open Window to Senegal
Jaume Benseny e-Health and e-Dependence
Department i2CAT, RD Non Profit Foundation A.
Carolina Rivas Prantte ILO, Lleida Ophthalmologic
Institute
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Tele-Ophthalmology Eye-Health system deployment
in Kolda, Senegal
Eye Health Project
Open Window to Senegal Project
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Eye-Health Project / Introduction

• Main goal is to make specialized eye health
  available in rural zones as in the urban zones
• Born in 2006
• Cover unattended ophthalmologic demand in the
  remote villages of the Pyrenees mountain range
• Deployment of a tool to make the GPs (general
  physicians) able to cooperate with the ILO
  ophthalmologists

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Eye-Health Project / Justification

• Catalan High Pyrenees description area
• High mountain range
• Dispersed population
• Difficult access
• Big distances
• Lack of ophthalmologist
• Catalan Health Care stressing factors
• Progressive population ageing
• Chronic diseases
• Sedentary lifestyle

2005
2020
The introduction of telemedicine is a
cost-effective solution to help the health care
unsustainable economic situation
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Ophthalmologic reality in Kolda
According to the Programme National de Lutte
contre la cécité au Sénégal Blindness prevalence
1.4 - 150 000 blind people - 450 000 people
with serious visual disabilities
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ILO NGO (Ferreruela Sanfeliu Foundation)

• Eye health field improvement trough specific
  actions
• Cataract surgery
• Fight against Trachoma and Trichiasis
• Children Refraction Defect Detection Program
• Set up a cooperative optic shop cooperatively
  managed
• Deploy the Telemedicine system based on the
  Eye-Health Open Window to Senegal
• In concordance with the
• National Program Against the Blindness
• Minister de Santé, Conseil de la Region Medicale

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Flow diagram
GP takes eye fundus images GP writes a report
ILO Ophthalmologists in the city
Specialist analize Specialist diagnose remotely
GP in the Village
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Eye-Health Project
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Eye-Health Project
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System components
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Technical Platform Difficulties

• Bandwidth problem
• Different Health Care Systems
• Public Health Care
• (GPs around little villages)
• Private Health Care
• (ILO Ophthalmologists)
• 2. Interoperability problems
• Translation Interface

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Open Window to Senegal

• First stage (delayed until 2010)
• Kolda Hospital visit to collect technical
  requeriments
• Deployment of a Videoconference System based on
  bandwith mesures BCN - KOLDA
• Start of E-Learning process based in
  videoconference
• Second stage
• Full Eye-Health features deployed
• Capacity to remotly diagnose Kolda cases from
  Catalonia
• Capacity to remotly diagnose Kolda countryside
  cases from Kolda Hospital

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Senegal ICT Overview

• ICT Regulatory Entities
• DERPT is the regulator of the telecommunication
  sector.
• Open competitive market
• SONATEL is the private operator owner of the main
  ICT infrastructure.

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Kolda ICT Infrastructure

• People have Internet access in the TeleCenters
• Main Hospital is connected trough SONATEL
  network.
• Iperf real bandwidth measurements BCN KOLDA
  to ensure videoconference requirements.
• 300 kbps TCP
• 50000 kbps UDP

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Tele-Ophthalmology Benefits

• Ophthalmologic care AFTER Eye-Health Project
• GPs became the patients guide against an ocular
  affection
• GPs are under e-learning process
• (80 of GP diagnosis coincided with the
  ophthalmologist)
• Practical way for eye fundus- pathology screening
  and treatment
• Easy access to specialized medical attention
• Ophthalmologic Electronic Record
• Reduce Ophthalmologic waiting lists
• Public Health Care global economic savings

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Conclusions

• New services and products based in the
  Information Society tools can improve basic
  services while reducing its costs.
• The Information Society and its benefits can not
  be applied everywhere due to the digital gap.
• The establishment of NRENs and permanent
  relationship between research groups increases
  its capacity to success in the objectives
  pursued.