The workshop commenced with welcome remarks and the introduction of the workshop by Prof. Saroj Dhital, the Founder Chairperson of TMSoN and Vice President of phect-NEPAL. The opening remarks were made by Prof. Tomohiko Moriyama, the President of the Telemedicine Development Center of Asia, Japan, and Dr. Udaya Koirala, the President of the Telemedicine Society of Nepal. The inaugural session of the workshop, chaired by Dr. Saroj Dhital, Founding President of the Telemedicine Society of Nepal, and Dr. Mohammad Kashim Shah, Senior Program Manager at Nick Simons Institute, focused on telemedicine practices in various countries. Distinguished speakers included Dr. Oomen John from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s India Country Office, Dr. Prakash Poudel from the Global Telemedicine Center at Nepal National Hospital, Dr. Sanjay Yadav from Penn State Health in the USA, Dr. Pramendra Prasad Gupta from BPKIHS in Dharan, and Dr. Miguel Tanimoto from Mexico. This session underscored the vast potential of telemedicine and emphasized the need for greater cooperation and networking among telemedicine practitioners.
The second session of the workshop focused on the role of nurses in telemedicine, chaired by Mrs. Goma Niraula and Radhika Ghimire. The session highlighted the theme of the workshop and discussed the role of nurses in telemedicine, particularly in remote areas, and emphasized the need for basic training and core competencies in this area. The session featured presentations from Gandhi Nepal of Remote Area Nurse in Australia, Kanchan Gautam of Rural Health Care in Nepal, Professor Yoko Shimpuku of Hiroshima University, Professor Fumihiko Yokota of Kyushu University, Suruchi Khadka of Suruchi Home Care, and Dr. Prabhat Adhikari of the Center for American Medical Specialists, Danphe Care. The presentations in this session discussed the provision of healthcare in remote areas, the use of smartphone apps in telemedicine, home-based nursing care through telemedicine, and Tele ICU care. In addition, it was recommended that nursing curriculum include telemedicine and tele nursing, and technological practical orientation for all nurses.
The third session of the workshop was about sharing experiences in telemedicine which was chaired by Prof. Dr Bishnu Dutta Poudel, president of Nepalese Association of Palliative Care, and Dr. Sanjiv Tiwari, General Secretary of Nepal Medical Association. The session discussed the technical aspects of telemedicine and shared experiences of implementing telemedicine in rural healthcare. The session also focused on geriatric telemedicine, a newer care dimension for older people. In addition, the discussion in the session was also focused on the confusion created by the various terminology which has been currently practiced for technology-based healthcare delivery.
During the fourth session of the workshop, several distinguished members of TMSoN were honored, including Dr. Mahabir Pun, Dr. Saroj Dhital, Dr. Mingmar Sherpa, Muniraj Shakya, Dr. Pradeep Vaidya, Prof. Dr. Bishnu Dutta Poudel, Dr. Bhushan Raj Shrestha, and Mr. Lochan Lal Amatya. Dr. Udaya Koirala recognized each individual’s contribution to the advancement of Nepal’s telemedicine practices and sought their insights for its future journey. Dr. Mahabir Pun and Dr. Saroj Dhital were recognized as pioneers who encouraged the technical community to adopt video conference-based telemedicine. Dr. Mingmar Sherpa played a significant role in developing telemedicine from the government’s perspective. Muniraj Shakya, a prominent figure in science and technology, also made significant contributions to the development of telemedicine in Nepal. Additionally, Prof. Dr. Bishnu Dutta Poudel, Dr. Bhushan Raj Shrestha, Mr. Lochan Lal Amatya, and Prof. Dr. Pradeep Vaidya devoted their time and effort to the advancement of telemedicine.
Dr. Subash Pyakurel, the Director of Health Concern Nepal and Mediflow Solution, facilitated the fifth and last session. The discussion centered on the government’s dedication to telemedicine, an examination of the present legal framework, and the pressing issues surrounding telemedicine that must be resolved to advance its activities in the nation.
As the first person to participate in the discussion, Dr. Saroj Dhital discussed the various dimensions of e-health and telemedicine, including its potential as an earning platform and a means of reaching underserved populations. However, he noted that government regulations are not always clear, and it is important to clarify the purpose of e-health and telemedicine. He referenced a saying about the importance of offering love and nurturing the soul as a healer and urged that the same principles be applied to e-health and telemedicine. Dr. Dhital also discussed the need for standardized telemedicine practices and expressed concern about the misuse of regulations to block compassionate individuals from providing care.
During the discussion, Dr. Mingmar emphasized the need to establish institutional memory/records, citing his retirement from government services as an example of how everything collapsed due to lack of institutionalization, which he believed was a great loss for the country. To fully harness the enormous potential of telemedicine, he recommended setting up a dedicated department under the Ministry of Health to oversee telemedicine services nationwide. Dr. Mingmar also stressed the importance of tailoring telemedicine services to the local context and ensuring sufficient budget allocation for their implementation.
Dr. Bishnu Dutta Poudel recommended establishing a dedicated team within the Ministry to oversee telemedicine and allocate a separate budget for it. He proposed incorporating telemedicine services at the district and zonal levels. Moreover, he emphasized that telemedicine could be utilized not just for providing services but also for educational, academic, and research purposes.
Other recommendations by various distinguished speakers included maintaining privacy and confidentiality, developing a clinical procedure manual tailored to the Nepalese demographics and disease profile, establishing a regulatory body for telemedicine, and recruiting required technical human resources including individuals with expertise in health informatics. These actions are fundamental for building a solid foundation to support the development of telemedicine.
Establishing a National Telemedicine Centre for Child Health at KIOCH
