The Laboratory for Biomedical Informatics (LBMI) of the Netherlands is planning to establish collaborations with Indian hospitals in the field of telemedicine. Telemedicine can play a significant role in countries like India, which are geographically widespread and have large population unlike Western countries that are small and have smaller population, Dr Michael Adeyinka, director of LBMI told Pharmabiz.

Dr Michael Adeyinka, who visited leading Indian hospitals in his recent trip found Indian hospitals follow good operational practices in telemedicine and demonstrate their strengths. LBMI intends to immediately establish collaborations and make investments in telemedicine in India and would visit India again by the end of September, 2006, to finalise deals.

He said, first, a feasibility study will be carried out on the possible trade relation meeting user requirements, which will further be translated to functional specifications, which will be applied. Indian hospitals may make use of the advanced applications in telemedicine to render services. In addition to large Indian hospitals, small and medium hospitals requiring advanced telemedicine equipment will be targeted by offering Dutch fabricated medical equipments. Low cost models have been created at LBMI for this purpose.

India will be one of the first countries with which LBMI will be establishing such linkages due to the country's readiness in the field. The LBMI is a research laboratory that has coupled its expertise in Quantitative Cytology and Medical Imagery with experience in Telematics to carry out Technological Research, Development and consultant's activities in Healthcare Telematics and Telemedicine.

He added, the LBMI has developed Telepathology and TeleAmbulance configurations, which can be adapted to suit the purpose of this initiative. Dr Michael Adeyinka, the director of LBMI, was appointed one of the five International Telemedicine consultants to the World Health Organisation during the course of the ESA/WHO COPINE project. LBMI has acquired adequate knowledge and experience proven in different projects for the European Commission including ELISE II (Electronic Library Image Service for Europe).

The LBMI has recently received the Dutch Government WBSO grant (2006) for the development of the Telemedicine Broker System (TBS). The System will be automatic and tests the capability of telemedicine infrastructure and approves activity. LBMI team has completed deigning of the System and is now in the operational phase of feasibility. Surgeons' payments are taken care by the System. The system is expected to be introduced in the Europe first and will be utilised across the world, he informed.

The LBMI is initiating a Trans-European TeleMedicine Initiative project (TETI) which will involve the East and Central Pre-Accession countries and the West European counterparts. The 2-phase project will start with the demonstration of Telemedicine consultation services after which a full-fledged Telemedicine project will start.