KP governor inaugurates telemedicine project at KMU

PESHAWAR: Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shah Farman on Thursday formally inaugurated the telemedicine project at the Khyber Medical University (KMU) for reduce the burden on hospitals and clinics and providing free of cost consultation as well as prescription to the patients online, particularly those living in remote areas and tribal districts of the province.

Besides others, Vice-Chancellor KMU Prof Dr Arshad Javaid, Registrar Prof Dr Saleem Gandapur, Project In charge Telemedicine Dr Abdul Jalil Khan, Dr Muhammad Jawad and Dr. Kashif Ali attended the event. Earlier while briefing the governor about the project, Dr Abdul Jalil Khan said the department of telemedicine has made considerable progress in terms of therapeutic and medical advice in foreign countries. He claimed that in the public sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the KMU is the pioneer in launching this unique type of medical service free of cost. He felt the initiative would benefit a large number of people in remote and far flung areas of the province and provide easy access to standard and best health facilities at home.

In the context of coronavirus pandemic, he said it will enable patients to avoid physical visit of hospitals and clinics by availing the online service. Addressing the ceremony, Governor Shah Farman said that KMU had launched the telemedicine project in view of the ongoing lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak. He termed the initiative appreciable and said it showed the hard work and dedication of KMU staff and administration to help the patients. He said the profession of medicine is certainly one of the best areas of service to the suffering humanity, termed it praiseworthy. He congratulated the KMU administration and the relevant experts who set a precedent for other organizations by launching a free online project of therapeutic and medical consultations in the context of the coronavirus outbreak.

The governor appreciated the KMU Public Health Reference Lab services, especially the staff working there with full zeal and zest, during his visit to the lab. He hoped that the chain of services will not only continue with the passage of time but would increase in term of human and logistics resources.

The telemedicine project will initially provide online services from 9am to 6pm and will be extended to 24 hours later with the support of more than 50 specialist doctors, including VC KMU Prof Dr Arshad Javaid who is a pulmonologist, Registrar Prof. Dr Salim Gandapur, an ophthalmologist, Dr Abdul Jalil Khan who is a family medicine specialist, Dr. Muhammad Jawad family physician and Dr. Kashif Ali, dermatologist. Patients will be able to contact the KMU’s official website www.kmu.edu.pk in addition to the direct link to helpline numbers 0317-1777516 and0317-9797297. Interestingly, a similar project was launched in 2017-18 at the Police Services Hospital Peshawar with a cost of Rs96 million.”If this was inaugurated today then what happened to an earlier telemedicine project inaugurated in 2017-2018 at the Police Services Hospital with a cost of Rs95 million? An inquiry was ordered in 2019 when reports appeared about mega corruption and embezzlement in funds meant for that important project,” a senior member of the management cadre told The News. He said the case was hushed up as those accused of getting kickbacks in the project were influential and had brought properties in the name of their servants.