 Russian Telemedicine Center traces Origin to MCG
by Christine Deriso
A telemedicine center created with extensive input from
the Medical College of Georgia opened in the Russian city of Sarov this
spring.
The center, intended to enhance health care quality and
access, was part of a U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Cities Initiative to
help transform closed Russian nuclear cities such as Sarov that functioned
as weapons development complexes during the Cold War.
Dr. David Zigleman, who directs the participation of
Westinghouse/Savannah River Site in the initiative, called on the expertise
of MCG and the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1999 to assist in the
effort. Dr. Max Stachura, director of the MCG Center for Telehealth, and John
Peifer, director of the Biomedical Interactive Technology Center at Georgia
Tech, assessed the city’s needs and customized a telemedicine system for
its residents.
They found that Sarov is similar to many areas of rural
Georgia that offer excellent primary care but limited access to specialized
care. Specialized care was extremely limited in Sarov and nearby communities
until the new telemedicine system linked primary-care physicians to
specialists in Moscow and other major cities.
"The system is up and running,” said Dr.
Stachura, who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “We watched pediatric
telemedicine consultations while we were there. It’s rather humbling to
realize we have made a contribution to a significant population of Russian
people.”
Alexander Vershbow, U.S. ambassador to Russia, and
Radiy Ivanovich Il’Kayev, director of the All Russian Institute for
Experimental Physics, cut the ribbon to open the center. Ambassador Vershbow
cited its significance in official correspondence, noting that “the
Telemedicine Center is an efficient use of computers and the Internet for
those living in places not close to Moscow, and shows we are working
together for the welfare of citizens, not just for strategic or political
reasons.”
The center will initially create seven jobs with the
potential for a much larger health business network throughout the region,
according to the Department of Energy. The department hopes the center will
serve as a model for integrating medical services, lowering hospital costs,
keeping revenue in the region and attracting revenue from other areas.
MCG hopes to play a role in the center’s expansion,
Dr. Stachura said. “It is my hope that we will have a consulting
relationship with our Russian friends,” he said. “Ongoing consultation
with MCG specialists would not only enhance health care in Russia, but would
expose MCG faculty and trainees to a part of the world they may have no
knowledge of. Telemedicine is tying health care throughout the world
together.”
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