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Newsletter # 3 International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth www.isft.net

July 28th, 2005

In this newsletter:
- Welcome word from the ISfTeH President
- New name, new logo
- ISfTeH partners
- Tenders
- Telemedicine in El Salvador
- Telemedicine endeavours in Rwanda
- Virtual Health Care Center (VHCC)
- Report from the General Assembly
- Report from the ISfTeH session at Med-e-Tel
- 10th ISfTeH International Conference (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- Member Reports and Good Practice Models
- Education
- Media Partnership
- Members
- Conferences & Events
- Next Newsletter

Welcome word from the ISfTeH President

Dear reader,

Once again I have the honour to address a message to you in this third newsletter.
As you will see, the ISfTeH has become a very vivid community with a lot happening every day, week, and month.

First I would like to address the most "prominent" change since the last newsletter. As you probably already know, the ISfT changed its name to ISfTeH (International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth) and adapted its logo as well. This follows the current trend to use the term "eHealth" which covers a much wider field than just "telemedicine". As our Society grows more and more international (have a look at our new world map with all ISfTeH involved countries on the ISfTeH website: www.isft.net), it faces new frontiers. To reach most of them is our aim.
Also ISfTeH partnering or collaborating organisations such as WHO and ITU are officially using the denomination eHealth. We can proudly say that our connections to these international organisations have thriven. We will continue building on these partnerships as it is crucial for an International Society to be a member in a worldwide network.
Around ISfTeH a lot of positive things have happened:

The World Health Assembly approved an "eHealth" Resolution (www.who.int/gb/e/e_wha58.html), being "the background political commitment for any future action plan in the eHealth arenas" according to Jean-Claude Healy. This Resolution will definitely support the eHealth department (Jean-Claude Healy, Yunkap Kwankam et al.) in the WHO which has good connections to the ISfTeH for quite some time now.

Another development I want to mention are ISfTeH\'s new partners in Africa and Eastern Europe, an aim that ISfTeH has always had. We are also very pleased that Australia is now also on the ISfTeH as well.

These are just a few of the recent ISfTeH highlights, but you can read much more in this third ISfTeH newsletter. So keep on reading...if you want to be informed on what happens in the field of telemedicine � and eHealth.

With very best regards.

Prof. Michael Nerlich, MD PhD
President of the ISfTeH

New name, new logo

On proposal of the Board, the General Assembly that was held in Luxembourg on April 6th, 2005 approved the new name of the Society as "International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth". Also the adapted logo (incorporating the two additional letters "eH") was accepted. The website has immediately been updated, using the new name and logo. For practical purposes, the domain name (isft.net) has not been changed. Nevertheless www.isfteh.net and www.isfteh.org have been reserved and point to www.isft.net .

ISfTeH partners

WHO
ISfTeH is proud to collaborate with the WHO in matters of Telemedicine/eHealth. Our coordinating officer for this collaboration at WHO is:
Dr. S. Yunkap Kwankam, Ph.D.
Coordinator, eHealth
Department of Knowledge Management and Sharing (KMS)
World Health Organization - Geneva (Switzerland)
A very important milestone in the development of Telemedicine/eHealth was set at the recent World Health Assembly that took place in Geneva this May. Dr. Jean-Claude Healy, Director, Office of the Assistant Director General, External Relations and Governing Bodies (EGB), WHO HQ, writes the following about it:
Dear eHealth friends,
I am very pleased to inform you that the so-called "eHealth" Resolution was approved by the 58th World Health Assembly held in Geneva from 16 to 25 May 2005. The text is now available on www.who.int/gb/e/e_wha58.html and can be perceived as the background political commitment for any future action plan in the eHealth arenas.
Definitively we are convinced eHealth is both the 3rd industrial pillar for health and the instrument needed for large scale public health initiatives through the personalised direct access to the final users.
In line with target 18 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the public and private partners are now kindly invited to go ahead urgently with offering to citizens, patients and the health communities, the benefit of Information and Communication technologies.
I would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank each of you for your strong support during the previous years in which, gradually, the concepts, the RD activities, the test beds, the action plans and finally the first round of assessment of the eHealth solutions were gradually put in place.
Of course I remain at your service for any additional future collaboration in this area.
Best regards.
(signed)
Dr. JC Healy, MD, PhD
Director, Office of the Assistant Director General
External Relations and Governing Bodies (EGB)
WHO HQ
WHO also participated actively in various sessions at Med-e-Tel 2005 in Luxembourg, especially on issues such as Developing Countries. For more information about the presentations, go to: www.medetel.lu/education/program.html.

UNOOSA
ISfTeH has also signed a partnership agreement with UNOOSA (United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs). The UNOOSA has its seat at the United Nations Office in Vienna (Austria). Our coordinating Officer at UNOOSA is:
Alice Lee
The United Nations Expert on Space Applications and Chief of Space Applications Section
Office of Outer Space Affairs - Vienna (Austria)
ISfTeH participated as invited guest to the STSC 2005 Session (Scientific & Technical Subcommittee) in Vienna on Feb. 28th, 2005. One of the points on the agenda of this session was: Space System Based Telemedicine. Presentations were made by:

- Frank Lievens, Board Member and Treasurer ISfTeH, Belgium
Approach to a Global View on Telemedicine/eHealth (Frank Lievens, Malina Jordanova, MD, PhD)

- Dr. Ronald C. Merrell, Director, Medical Informatics and Technology Applications Consortium, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia, USA
Medical Capability for Space Exploration: Beyond Telemedicine

UNOOSA also presented a session at Med-e-Tel 2005 in Luxembourg on Friday April 8th, 2005. Abstracts and full presentations can be downloaded from www.medetel.lu/education/program.html.


Tenders

E.S.A./ESTEC
INVITATIONS TO TENDER FOR THE TELEMEDICINE VIA SATELLITE TRANSITION PHASE
INITIATIVE
Three invitations to tender for the Telemedicine via Satellite Transition
Phase Initiative have been published.
Details of these invitations are available at the following URL address:
ftp://ftp.estec.esa.int/pub/telemedi

Telemedicine in El Salvador

There are many companies using telemedicine applications in El Salvador, but their principals and society at large do not define these applications as telemedicine. Explicitly, one company does: FONOMED. Since it was founded in May 2001, more than 100,000 different patients have been assisted by this company using POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service); nonetheless the population � and the medical community � has not fully embraced the evident benefits that telecommunications have brought to patient care improvement.
Telemedicine in El Salvador has been a very difficult idea to transmit from a conceptual point of view. Most telemedicine applications are seen as competition by the medical community and as a foreign process by many patients. The prevailing thought is that a physical examination is necessary for the resolution of any health issue, and that interconsultation and remote readings of local images are an affront to the treating professional\'s intellect and capacity.
However, due to the immense market penetration of telephone services in El Salvador (75% of the population has access to a phone line), and the meager national healthcare coverage (50% of the population), patients have used this service very frequently, but as a last resort, when visits to local doctors, pharmacists, pharmacy employees, healers, and self-medication have failed to identify the proper course of action for their health issue. Those that have experienced first hand the extreme convenience of prompt medical advice over the phone � when the patient needs it, not when the health care professional can deliver it � have remained active users of FONOMED.
The full educational and preventive aspects, as well as those that relate to timely health queries, that would obviously result in decreased redundancy and duplication of efforts, lower costs to the patient and the national health care system, identification of the appropriate entry level into the health care system, proper referrals to specialists, laboratories and/or images, and other well known elements that pertain to the very favorable cost/benefit result that characterizes FONOMED\'s telephone service, have not been fully understood by the population as yet.
In El Salvador, the national healthcare system is fraught with problems, as is the case in all underdeveloped countries. Health care coverage is at approximately 50% of a total population of 6 million; doctor\'s are overworked, underpaid and under-trained; nurses are ill-prepared to administer primary care; universities have very limited resources and use antiquated technologies and procedures; medical teachers are unsympathetic to their students; there is no minimum performance level required to enter into a medical university program, nor an evaluation that establishes minimum performance upon graduation and prior to medical practice; there is very little continued education; hospital infrastructure is deteriorated, and the list goes on and on.
This situation is to be expected: almost all healthcare is nationally funded and the tax base in an underdeveloped nation is meager at best. In this sort of environment, telemedicine can really shine.
In this context there must be a continued marketing and advertising effort that improves understanding of this system by the patients, the results of which can be measured in a tangible form: questions over the telephone become more precise, patients consult at the onset of symptoms with increased frequency, as well as understand that many health issues can be managed from beginning to end over the telephone system, and finally, the number of patients increases.
And so, our effort continues, with the added fuel of belonging to the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth, which we hope will add to the necessary critical mass required for successful implementation of our telemedicine programs, which are in the process of expansion � adding to POTS other more expensive, technology intensive applications. We are very aware of the importance of promoting organizations such as ISfTeH, as well as local Telemedicine associations, and of the need for that promotion to be reciprocal. The areas that most require attention are adequate funding, standardization of health care and technology protocols, staffing profiles and business models. It is FONOMED\'S strong believe that ISfTeH is a good vehicle to put together events that can properly address these issues.
Congratulations to ISfTeH and its staff, and best wishes for your continued success.
Article contributed by Marco Guirola, General Manager of FONOMED, ISfTeH Corporate Member.

Telemedicine endeavours in Rwanda

The Government of Rwanda is committed to developing an ICT-led socio-economic development program policy that aims at reforming the predominantly agriculture based economy into a middle income, information based economy.
The Policy and Process Development Plan is being supported by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) within the framework of the Africa Information Society Initiative (AISI), which began in 1998 and is an integral part of the Vision for Rwanda (VfR) by the year 2020.
The vision aims at modernizing the Rwandan economy and society using ICT as one of the enablers for rapid development and economic growth, national prosperity, and global competitiveness. A 5-year strategic plan "National Information and Communications Infrastructure (NICI)" has been implemented since 2001 to fulfil the objectives of the program policy.
One of the components of the NICI plan is the deployment and spread of ICT in the community. Under this "sub plan", the Ministry of Health is to commission the development of a National Telemedicine Project Implementation Plan for Rwanda. As a National Community-based ICT Initiative targeted at the Health Delivery System, the telemedicine program aims at achieving the following:
- to facilitate administrative and service delivery cost reduction and the improvement in productivity within the health delivery system;
- to modernize the operations of the health delivery system;
- to establish telemedicine systems in a number of rural and urban hospitals and community health centres;
- to demonstrate the use of ICTs to support health delivery and community-based medical education and training;
- to support medical research in the medical schools and teaching hospitals;
- to facilitate access by hospitals and medical schools to medical information, documents and research material on a global scale via the internet;
- to deploy and utilize ICTs in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Rwanda.
A pilot project will be set up to demonstrate the possibility of implementing a future telemedicine system. However, two demonstrations of telesurgery have been carried out using videoconferencing technology by utilising the IP and ISDN technologies.
The current target is to have 5 telemedicine centres by the end of the year 2005. One centre is already being constructed at King Faisal Hospital, one of the two main referral hospitals in the capital Kigali.
To enhance this initiative, the government of Rwanda has pledged to lay a network of fiberoptic cables across main towns in the country and the country�s network will soon join the Eastern Africa Submarine Communication Network (EASY), a project to run a fiberoptic network from Durban in South Africa to Djibouti in North Africa.
Rwanda Health indicators
- Health Expenditure (% GDP): 5.5 (2001)
- Private Health expenditure: 44% (of total health expenditure) (2001)
- Per capita total expenditure on health at average exchange rate (USD): 11 (2001)
- Per capita total expenditure on health in international dollars: 44 (2001)
- Hospital beds per 100,000 people: 170 (1991/1990)
Report contributed by Dr. Richard Gakuba, ISfTeH Student Member, Brunel University, London, UK.

Virtual Health Care Center (VHCC)

The Virtual Health Care Center (VHCC) is a joint project between the Georgian Telemedicine Union (GTU � http://georgia.telepathology.org) and the Institute of Pathology of the University Hospital Berlin Charite (Berlin, Germany).
The main goal of this project is the implementation, evaluation and adaptation of telemedicine services to Georgian needs. The service will consist of:
- a groupware environment for organizational process;
- an eLearning environment for the creation of learning material/courses about the service and medical problems;
- a mail server;
- a tool for videoconferences.
It is an ongoing NATO Networking Infrastructure Project which will allow Georgian health care professionals to connect effectively with each other and with foreign colleagues by usage of the worldwide grid of telemedicine, based on modern computer technologies and internet connections.
This offers a real and effective chance to develop the healthcare sector in Georgia and to raise the level and quality of medical service.
The project, its objectives, deliverables and schedule and other related data are presented at http://vhccgeorgia.blogspot.com.
All individuals and organizations interested in becoming a member of the Expert Group and in participating in this project are highly welcome.

Report from the General Assembly

The third General Assembly of the ISfT since it\'s re-creation in 2003 in Tromso took place in Luxembourg on Wednesday 6th April 2005, within the frame of the Med-e-Tel Exhibition and Conference. 18 members were present representing the following 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, El Salvador, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Kosova, Lithuania, Poland, The Netherlands, UK, Ukraine, USA.
The following points were on the agenda:
- Change of the Society\'s name and logo
- Revision of the Statutes
- Presentation of the 10th ISfTeH International Conference which will take place in Sao Paulo (Brazil) from Oct. 23rd till Oct. 26th, 2005 (www.cbtms.com.br/congresso/2005/mensagemeng.asp).

Report from the ISfTeH session at Med-e-Tel

Med-e-Tel, the International Trade Event and Conference for eHealth, Telemedicine and Health ICT took place in Luxembourg on April 6-8th, 2005. Med-e-Tel focuses on a wide range of medical ICT applications and on the convergence of information and communication technology with medical applications, which lead to higher quality of care, cost reductions, workflow efficiency, and widespread availability of healthcare services.
In a professional and business-minded environment, Med-e-Tel brings manufacturers and suppliers together with healthcare service providers and other key contacts such as representatives from local government and international organizations, insurers and consultants, for the purpose of establishing new trade contacts or developing existing relationships.
In addition, the event also features many educational opportunities through its extensive program of seminars, presentations, and satellite workshops and symposia on topics such as business models, cost-benefit studies, current eHealth realizations and projects, distance education, home monitoring and homecare applications, telemedicine applications, legal and ethical aspects, broadband and wireless networks, satellites and eHealth, developing countries and eHealth, eHealth integration into routine medical practice, standardization and interconnectivity, bio-informatics.
Within the frame of the Med-e-Tel Conference program, a special ISfTeH session took place on Thursday April 7th. It gave the opportunity to ISfTeH member representatives from 8 different countries to present issues, experiences, good practice models and solutions to an audience of eHealth & Telemedicine professionals and decision makers from all over the world. The program ran as follows:

National Experiences in Telemedicine and eHealth
Hosted by the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth
Chair: Frank Lievens, ISfT Board Member & Treasurer

- The Challenges of Implementing the National Programme for IT in England
Hanina A. (UK)

- Remote analysis of digitised x-ray image for bone injuries and other pathology
Glinkowski W., Kornacki M. (Poland)

- Country Building Efforts for the Developing World Using Telemedicine
Guirola M. (El Salvador)

- eHealth and Telemedicine Projects in South Africa
Molefi L.M. (South Africa)

- GRID � New Perspectives of E-Health Applications for Georgia
Kldiashvili, E.T. (Georgia)

- Current Finnish eHealth Experiences
Reponen J. (Finland)

- Our Best Practice Models for Telemedicine and eHealth
Vladzymyrskyy A.V., Dorokhova E., Klymovytskyy V. (Ukraine)

- Croatian Telehealth Strategy: Objectives, Technology, Customers, Benefits
Klapan I., Pavelin A. (Croatia)

For more details about the schedule and program, including links to abstracts & presentations, please go to www.medetel.lu/education/program.html. The session was very well accepted and it is already planned to organise similar ISfTeH presentations at Med-e-Tel 2006 (April 5-7, 2006) in Luxembourg.
For more information about Med-e-Tel, go to www.medetel.lu.

10th ISfTeH International Conference (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Here are some words from Gy�rgy Mikl�s B�hm, President of the Brazilian Counsel for Telemedicine and Telehealth and President of the Organizing Committee of the 10th Congress of the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth:
Dear Friends,
Sao Paulo is the economical and industrial heart of South America. The city was chosen because the local Directory of the Congress thought that Sao Paulo is strategically the best place to hold an international congress, it is the industrial heart of South America and an urban centre from where any place in Brazil and in the world is the easiest to reach. Besides these advantages, the venue shall be next to the most important Health Centre of South America with the largest telemedicine and e-health network of the Continent. Our first effort is directed to offer a well organized event rich in valuable Meeting Highlights, exciting Plenary Sessions, practical and efficient courses to teach how to do telemedicine and where experiences from all over the world may be communicated in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. Among the telemedicine cases of S�o Paulo University Faculty of Medicine, the project of Telemedicine Nucleus of Amazonia, a joint venture with the Brazilian Medical Council and the University of Amazonas will be presented.
Sao Paulo is one of the big megalopolis of the world with many touristical and cultural attractions. It is also the shopping centre of South America and very few cities of the globe have so many hotels, expositions and world famed restaurants. Of course, there are many other beautiful and exciting places that you would like to visit in Brazil: Amazonas, the world biggest rain forest, Pantanal the richest bird ecosystem, the peerless Iguazu Falls, the enchantment of popular or pristine beeches along the 5,000 mile long coast line, the lure of Bahia, the baroque architectonic jewels of Minas Gerais and, of course, Rio de Janeiro.
However, Brazil has continental dimensions and the places that you would like to see before or after the meeting may be far away from each other. May I say that the easiest way to reach any part of our country is through Sao Paulo, unless that your destination is only Rio. Now, if that is the case, you can visit that marvellous town without any extra cost since from all part of the world you may fly to S�o Paulo and leave via Rio, or vice-versa.
There are certain topics that we would like to draw special attention to in the ISfTeH Conference:
- Telemedicine in Support of Homeland Security
- Emergency Medicine and Tele-technologies
- Telemedicine for prison populations: identifying bottlenecks
- Telemedicine Success Stories in Poor and Developing Countries
- Telemedicine and Business: what are the facts in the new millennium?
- Health insurance and Telemedicine
- Evaluating and Costing telemedicine
- Breakthrough Technologies in Telemedicine in the New Millennium
- Telehealth Education: are we heading to an anarchic globalisation or an organization of a worldwide system?
- Telemedicine as Education Provider: the poor and the physician
- Image Communication in Telehealth Education
- Innovative Internet-Based Applications of Telemedicine
- Cost/Benefit of Telemedicine Products
- Telemedicine export and import strategies of Successful Telemedicine Programs
- Human Factors in Implementing Telemedicine Programs
- Governmental Factors in Implementing Telemedicine Programs
- Grants and Support Programs for Telemedicine
- New and Successful Techniques of Telemedicine in Medical Specialties
- The Reality about Telecaring for Remote Populations
- Robotics
- Teledentistry: a medical specialty that needs more attention from Telemedicine Societies
- Telenursing: new roles for nurses and new practices in nursing, standards and guidelines, competency validation and legal implications
- Tele Homecare and Home Telehealth
- National and International Problems of Telemedicine
- Reimbursement
Registrations are still very welcome.
For more details about Registration as well as the Conference program & logistics, please go to: www.cbtms.com.br/congresso/2005/mensagemeng.asp, or contact Prof. Gy�rgy B�hm at // uspbr\"">gyorbohmuspbr.
Looking forward to meeting you in Sao Paulo!

Member Reports and Good Practice Models

You can find the following new member reports and good practice models on the ISfTeH website under www.isft.net/cms/index.php?members_reports and www.isft.net/cms/index.php?good_practice_models:

Member Reports:
- The Potentials of Telemedicine in Georgia
- The Use of Telemedicine Possibilities in Massive Casualties Situations - The Lithuanian Experience
- Telemedicine in El Salvador
- Telemedicine endeavours in Rwanda
- Virtual Health Care Center - Joint Initiative of GTU and Charit� (Georgia)
- Telemedicine Experience and Perspective - School & Meeting in Donetsk, Ukraine
- Telemedicine in Russia
- Telemedicine for HIV/AIDS care in low resource settings (Belgium)

Good Practice Models:
- Best Practice Model for Teleconsultation in Urgent Trauma (Ukraine)
- Best Law Ethical Practice Model for Eastern Europe (Ukraine)
- Best Teleconsultation\'s Theory Practice Model (Ukraine)
- Best Telemedical Equipment\'s Practice Model (Ukraine)
- Borderless Healthcare Communication Collaboration IT-Service (in English) (Denmark)
- Borderless Healthcare Communication Collaboration IT-Service (in German) (Denmark)
- Good eConsultation (in English) (Denmark)
- Good eConsultation (in Russian) (Denmark)

Education

IITEC: ISfTeH/ISU Intensive Interdisciplinary Telemedicine/eHealth Course
The International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth will start up a series of Interdisciplinary Short Courses. These courses will be offered by the International Space University (ISU) in Strasbourg, France (www.isunet.edu). It will be unique in multidisciplinary and international education. It will be taught in English by leading experts and will provide a comprehensive overview on enabling technologies, system architectures and potential applications for the medical practitioners, health care providers, administrative staff, telecommunication specialists and professionals in IT, insurance and other disciplines relevant to Telemedicine and eHealth.
The participants will leave with an integrated knowledge set that will help them communicate more effectively with their colleagues in the technical implementation of Telemedicine/eHealth technologies.
The first 5-day course will take place from April 8th till April 12th, 2006 at the ISU in Strasbourg (immediately following the Med-e-Tel Exhibition & Conference in Luxembourg).
Final structure and practical details of the program are currently being prepared by the ad hoc committees and will be presented to the ISfTeH members and the international community by end of August 2005. That is also when a special brochure will be available and full details will appear on the ISfTeH website.
The amount of students per session will be limited. Anyone interested in participating, either as student or lecturer, may already send in their request and CV to the ISfTeH ( // isftnet\"">contactisftnet) and will be contacted by priority upon the official launch of the Course.

University of Troms� (Norway)
The University of Troms� offers a new two-year Master�s Degree Programme in Telemedicine and eHealth, starting autumn semester 2005. The programme has two fields of study: "Technology" which focuses on the construction of telemedicine and eHealth systems (The Faculty of Science) "Health" which focuses on the implementation and use of such systems in complex health organisations (The Faculty of Medicine). In both of these two fields, technology has a central role.
The programme has been developed and will be offered in close cooperation with Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine. Completion of the study programme qualifies for the degree Master of Science in Telemedicine and eHealth.
Both Norwegian and international students can apply for the programme. The language of instruction is English. You can find more information about the curriculum and how to apply, on The University of Troms�s website: http://uit.no/medfak-studietilbud/telemedisin/1.
For more information contact Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine: // gjerdrumtelemedno\"">Eva Gjerdrum or // pettersentelemedno\"">Hilde Pettersen.
The Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine is an Institutional Member of the ISfTeH.

Institute of Tropical Medicine (Antwerp, Belgium): Short Course on Antiretroviral Treatment (SCART) and Comprehensive Care of People living with HIV/AIDS in Countries with Limited Resources (III edition)
The Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp organises on an annual basis a course on patients� management in the field of HIV/AIDS care for physicians working in low resource settings.
Students get up-to-date training in comprehensive care of people with HIV infection and in administering highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to people with HIV infection in countries with limited resources.
Topics range from individual care to organisational issues and include:
- Basic knowledge about HIV, virology immunology
- HIV comprehensive care
- Management of HIV clinical manifestations in adults and children
- Co-infection with TB, hepatitis B and C
- HIV infection in women and prevention of HIV perinatal transmission
- HIV infection in groups with special needs
- Safe and effective use of antiretrovirals in adults and children
- Resistance to antiretrovirals and treatment counselling
- Prevention of occupational exposure to blood borne infections and post-exposure prophylaxis
- Organisational aspects of access to HAART
- HIV clinical trials and ethical issues
The course duration is three weeks (5 credits) and takes place in English at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp: Aug/2005 � Sept/2005.
A limited number of DGOS (Belgian Directorate-General Development Cooperation) fellowships are available for participants from developing countries.
We are looking for funding and partners to have the SCART on-line, available as distance education tool. For more information about that please contact: Dr Maria Zolfo ( // itgbe\"">mzolfoitgbe) or Dr Lut Lynen ( // itgbe\"">llynenitgbe).
The Institute of Tropical Medicine is an Institutional Member of the ISfTeH.

Media Partnership

The Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare (JTT) is internationally recognized as the leading publication in its field. Contributions from around the world provide a unique perspective on how different countries and health systems are using new technology in health care. It helps its subscribers to stay up-to-date in this fast moving and growing aera of medicine.
An agreement has been reached with the editors and publishers, RSM Press Ltd. in London, for JTT to become the Official Journal for the ISfTeH. As a result, ISfTeH members can now take advantage of discounted subscription rates (including online access to all issues published since 1996).
You can download the order coupon from the ISfTeH website under http://www.isft.net/cms/download.php?id=73888,289,1 . If you need any additional information, please contact // isftnet\"">contactisftnet or // rsmacuk?subject=ref.">rsmjournalsrsmacuk (with ref. 05JTTISfTeH).

Members

For a complete list of the present ISfTeH members, please go to www.isft.net/cms/index.php?member_directory.
We are most pleased to welcome following new members (since 2005):

National:
- Austrian Scientific Telemedicine Association
- Bangladesh Telemedicine Association
- Brazilian Council of Telemedicine and Telehealth
- Russian Telemedicine Foundation

Institutional:
- Centre of Excellence in e-Medicine (Australia)
- Colombian Telemedicine Centre (Colombia)
- Institute of Tropical Medicine (Belgium)
- Kaunas University of Medicine (Lithuania)
- Medical Research Centre of South Africa (South Africa)

Corporate:
- DiViSy Group (Russia)

The ISfTeH counts presently 12 "National" members. The target for 2005 is to have at least 20 countries represented in ISfTeH through their national Associations or Societies. Let\'s all work together towards that goal!
We also look forward to welcoming many other Associate, Institutional and Corporate members. Membership applications can be made online via: www.isft.net/cms/index.php?membership_online.

Conferences & Events

A list of the ISfTeH supported events can be found on the ISfTeH website at www.isft.net/cms/index.php?id=64,0,0,1,0,0. ISfTeH supported events in 2005 include:

Already past:
- Feb. 2005: 4th ASEM Conference on e-Commerce - London, UK (www.asemec-london.org)
- Mar. 2005: International Conference on Telemedicine - Bangalore, India www.intelemedindia2005.com)
- Apr. 2005: Med-e-Tel 2005 - Luxembourg, G.D. of Luxembourg (www.medetel.lu)
- Apr. 2005: Telemed 2005 - Berlin, Germany (www.telemed-berlin.de)
- Apr. 2005: 10th Finnish National Conference on Telemedicine and eHealth - Lappeenranta, Finland (www.ekshp.fi/fi/telem)

Still to come:
- Aug. 2005: 5th SFT International Conference - Brisbane, Australia (www.uq.edu.au/sft)
- Oct. 2005: 10th ISfTeH International Conference - Sao Paulo, Brazil (www.cbtms.com.br/isft/)
- Nov. 2005: TeleMed & eHealth \'05 - London, UK (www.rsm.ac.uk/telemedicine)

Next Newsletter

The ISfTeH newsletters will be sent on a quarterly basis. The next one is planned around October/November 2005. Members\' contributions are most welcome. Please send in your announcements, press releases, reports of events, requests, etc. to // isftnet\"">contactisfTnet.
Copies of previous Newsletters can be found at www.isft.net/newsletter/newsarchive.php.

For your convenience, please find below some direct links to information which can be found on www.isft.net:

The ISfTeH website is a major tool of communication for the Society. We invite all members to regularly visit it, but also to actively participate in its build-up by sending in useful information, reports, good practice models, etc...
We would particularly like to draw the attention to the following sections:
- Membership Application
- Member Reports
- Good Practice Models
- Education
- Telemedicine Directory
- Discussion Forum
- Media Partners & Press Releases

Your e-mail address has been added to the distribution list of the newsletter as a Member or a Partner of the ISfTeH or after subscription on the www.isft.net website.

If the ISfTeH Newsletter should be addressed to another person within your organization or if additional e-mail addresses within your company or organization should be added to the distribution list, please send contact details to // isftnet\"">contactisftnet.

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Newsletter # 4 International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth www.isft.net

In this newsletter:
- Welcome word from the ISfTeH President
- News from our Members
- Telemedicine in Mauritius
- 10th ISfTeH International Conference (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- Member Reports and Good Practice Models
- Education
- Media Partnership
- Members
- Conferences and Events
- Next Newsletter

Welcome word from the ISfTeH President

Dear ISfTeH members and friends,

As a lot is happening every day in the field of Telemedicine and eHealth, I am glad to present you this fourth (autumn) newsletter.

This time, I would like to draw your attention to "events" which are all dedicated to our topics. As our experience shows, a lot of people (individuals, groups of only few persons, associations and corporations) all over the world start to create or already work on telemedicine and eHealth solutions. As these initiatives � huge in numbers � are scattered around the globe, the pioneers in their field might often get the impression that they fight alone. To fight against this "isolation" is one of our tasks. You will see through this newsletter and the website (www.isft.net) that a lot is happening. Here are some events which you can join � even more so � that you are cordially invited to.

If we do a chronological lineup, we have to start with the 10th ISfTeH International Conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil which will take place in only a few days: 23.10. - 26.10. 2005. Our friends and ISfTeH members from Brasil will host a great conference.

Please check on their website: http://www.cbtms.com.br/congresso/2005/mensagemeng.asp

The program is impressive and international. A special symposium about "Urgencies and Traumas in Telemedicine" will take place, as an initiative of an ISfTeH member. Workshops for practical experiences are planned, as well as dedicated ISfTeH sessions, where members have the possibility to present their projects.

The next appointment in your telemedicine and eHealth calendar is MED-e-TEL 2006 in Luxembourg from 05. April - 07. April 2006. MED-e-TEL is THE fair in our field. Regularly it is even more than that, because the organizers do such an incredibly good job that international organisations like WHO and ITU, the European Commision, UNOOSA (as well as several others) regularly use MED-e-TEL as a meeting place for conferences and work meetings.
In 2006, MED-e-TEL will also host a special session organised by TATRC (Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center, USA). So, if you want to get in touch with an international community, this is the place to go.
You can get more information on the website www.medetel.lu.

Immediately after this fair from 8-12 April 2006, the "Intensive, Interdisciplinary Telemedicine and eHealth Course 2006" (IITEC 2006) will take place. This course will be a great opportunity for starters in the T&eH field to get an overview, for professionals it will be a possibility to get contacts as well as to have in-depth discussions with specialists. You can get additional information from the website www.iitec.org. Yet, be aware that the available places are strictly limited, as we want the course to be practical orientated and "hands-on". Therefore, the groups will be kept small. The course, as a joint venture with the ISU (the International Space University) will take place in the beautiful city of Strasbourg in France.

Finally, we are glad to announce that the next (11th) ISfTeH International Conference will take place for the first time on the African continent in Cape Town - South Africa. The exact dates will be confirmed in the next few days, yet it will be October/November 2006. The South African Telemedicine and eHealth community is very active, so we are looking forward gaining new insights in their approach to the subject. The members taking part in Sao Paolo will be able to meet some key people from South Africa and start preparing their partcipation at next year�s Conference. This year there will already be a presentation : "Overview of E-Health Projects in South Africa".

These are just of few points. You can read much more in this fourth ISfTeH newsletter. So keep on reading� and stay informed about what happens in the field of Telemedicine/ eHealth.

Yours sincerely,

Prof. Michael Nerlich, MD PhD
President of the ISfTeH


News from Our Members

Society for Telemedicine and e Health in NIGERIA.
O.J Awolola // sftehinorg\"">drawololasftehinorg http://www.sftehin.org

Developing Successful and Sustainable Telemedicine / e Health Program for Nigeria. Those seeking to introduce telemedicine into an organization, community, geo-political zones in Nigeria will need to address issues like; Policy , organization / human capacities, financial, technical and health technology assessment within the country.

It is important because these issues can actually pose a great challenge to the development of a successful and sustainable telemedicine / e health program. Addressing the issues will require a multidisciplinary collaboration, with active participation of information and communications technology / health care professionals. There is need to breach the gap between the two communities at all levels in Nigeria.

The National Ministries of health, science& technology and communications need to work together towards forming a NATIONAL COMMITTEE with a multidisciplinary composition to introduce a telemedicine / e health policy, legislation and strategy for Nigeria.

The National committee among other things is; a) to propose a frame work for rational development and deployment of national or organizational capacity for telemedicine systems in Nigeria, b) establish core principles to ensure coordinated, cost effective and integrated approach to telemedicine in Nigeria, c) consider ways to assess effectiveness, efficiency, and whether or not telemedicine is improving equality in access to health services for all Nigerian citizens, d) recommend a long term process for addressing issues as they emerge with changing technologies and pattern of health care practice in Nigeria.

Society of Medical Informatics of BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (DMIBiH)
Dr. Izet Masic http://www.imasic.org/bhsmi/.

The Society of Medical Informatics of Bosnia and Herzegovina (DMI BiH) was founded 1988, as member of former Yugoslavian Association of Medical Informatics, founded also in 1988, and member of EFMI in 1990. The Society has now over 100 members. The Society became member of EFMI in 1994 (EFMI Council in Lisbon), and member of IMIA in 1994 (General Assembly in Dresden). National representative in EFMI and IMIA is current president prof. dr. Izet Masic.

The Society carries out the following activities: a) Promotion and improvement of informatics within the health-care system, health insurance and bio-medical research, b) Engagement of experts in the field of medical informatics in B&H on development and establishment of health care information systems, c) Assistance in research, development and professional work in the field of medical informatics in B&H, d) Distribution and development of technical information in the field of medical informatics in B&H, e) Assistance in education of medical informatics experts, f) Exchange of professional experience on national and international level, g) Publishing activities in the field of medical informatics.

Since 1993, twice a year, the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia and Herzegovina continuously publish its own professional magazine �ACTA INFORMATICA MEDICA� where papers from area of medical informatics have been published. The Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia and Herzegovina organizes annually, its professional meetings with actual topics from medical informatics. During past years, the following meetings and workshops were held: Classification systems in health care, Health and information systems, Electronic medical records, Appliance of expert systems in health care, Tele-education in health care systems, etc.

Also, the Society has organized two congresses of Medical informatics in Bosnia and Herzegovina with international participation; The first was held in 1999 in Sarajevo with over 100 participants, mostly from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia and few neighbour countries from southeast Europe and the congress was opened by actual EFMI chair, prof. dr. Attila Naszlady. The second congress of Medical informatics was also, held in Sarajevo, and had international character, and on plenary meeting, papers presented members of the EFMI Board: Assa Reichert, John Brayden, Robert Baud, Rolf Engelbrecht, Jacob Hofdyk, Patrick Weber, as well as colleagues from Canada, Croatia, Slovenia and etc. During the congress, from 18 to 20 April 2004, there were organized the EFMI Board meeting in the facilities of the Rector office of University of Sarajevo. Papers from the congress were published in the magazine �MEDICINSKI ARHIV� and could be retrieved on Medline database. EFMI Board meeting was organized in order to promote candidature of both societies for Medical Informatics of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia as potential organizers of MIE 2009 in Sarajevo. Candidature of MIE 2009 in Sarajevo officially was presented on EFMI Council meeting in Munich on 14 June 2004. On March 18th 2005 at EFMI Council Meeting in Athens members of council decided that 22nd International Congress of Medical Informatics will be held in Sarajevo in 2009.

DMIBiH is now also becoming National member, representing Bosnia & Herzegovina in the ISfTeH.


THE COLOMBIAN TELEMEDICINE CENTRE
http://www.colombiantelemed.org

As we are closing this Newsletter, we just received copy of a newsletter from this Institutional member.
Please find its content under: http://www.isft.net/cms/index.php?members_newsletter/CMTC.pdf.


Telemedicine in Mauritius

Clinique du Nord at Tombeau Bay in Mauritius became the first healthcare setup in the private sector to launch its telemedicine linkage with Manipal Hospital at Bangalore - one of the bigger corporate hospitals in the South of India.

Through this telemedicine linkage between these two countries of almost same ethnicity, Mauritian patients shall be able to reap the benefits of Telecardiology and Teleradiology services.

Manipal Hospital in India is recognized by the Government of Mauritius, as its tertiary care referral hospital. Besides adults, neonates too are sent to Manipal for treatment and surgeries. With this telemedicine linkage the patients who have been treated at Manipal shall be able to get easy, cheaper and quicker follow up advice from their the doctors in Bangalore. This application of ICT in healthcare shall also enable others to get second opinion on their diagnosis. The telemedicine set up at Clinique du Nord also include the facility of video conferencing.

We started working on this project in November 2004, eventually, the telemedicine facility at Clinique du Nord was launched on the 18th of August, 2005 in the presence of Minister of Health and Quality of Life; Minister of Information Technology and Communication; Indian High Commissioner and others.

Technology:
The project permits the doctors on two ends to exchange clinical information thru Televital\'s telemedicine application called Televare. Using Televare, the doctors at Clinique du Nord can transfer 12 lead ECG and digitised radiological images in DICOM besides other clinical details (like vital signs and reports) including patient demographics in the form of electronic medical records. This exchange of clinical information takes place over the INTERNET and presently the station is connected to the NET through 128Kbps ADSL link. The other part of this setup on the patient end has a Polycom�s P-Z-T videoconferencing system which is supported by 256Kbps ISDN linkage.

Collaborators:
a) Patient-end (Clinique du Nord, Tombeau Bay, Mauritius) - The clinique was inaugurated in July 1988 by Dr. Mukesh Sooknundun (ENT Specialist). This 33 bedded clinic is equipped with modern medical technological marvels like, digital x-ray machine, CT Scanner, Mamography, 3D Doppler, C-arm Image intensifier, Laparoscopy system,Tocography systems etc. Owing to the rising number of cases pertaining to cariovascular diseases, the clinic planned to emerge as a medical hub for the Indian Ocean and African Countries and hence the launch of services of telecardiology and teleradiology.
b) Specialist-end (Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, India) - Established in 1990, is one of the leading hospitals in Asia. This multi-speciality health destination, renders some of the most sophistiocated and specialised medical services in over 40 specialties. The hospital is a ISO 9001:2000 certified and has 650 beds, 140 doctors and over 1700 paramedics. Clinique du Nord is the first telemedicine linkage (outside India) of Manipal Hospital. As per the CEO of Manipal Hospital, so far over 100 Mauritians have been treated at Manipal Hospital.
c)Televital � Televital a telemedicine technology solution has been implemented in over 173 telemedicine projects worldwide. Televital is a preferred technology solution provider to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sponsored projects in India.
d) Halo Company Ltd. Televital\'s partners in Mauritius - A group of techno-entrepreneurs working to bring value added services to medical informatics to facilitate healthcare delivery to hospitals, clinics, doctors and patients.
e) Sanjay P. Sood (telemedicine consultant) on behalf of C-DAC School of Advanced Computing, Mauritius - for Clinique du Nord. Chipping in, right from planning through installation, launch, training of the staff and execution of the telemedicine project. 25th August, 2005 Source: http://www.spsood.com/telemedicineinmauritius.htm


10th ISfTeH International Conference (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Looking forward to welcome all ISfTeH members at the 10th ISfTeH International Conference in Sao Paulo (Brazil), starting on Sunday Oct. 23rd. The final program is now available on the CBTms and ISfTeH website : http://www.cbtms.com.br/congresso/2005/programaeng.asp.

For registration, please go to : http://www.abacos.com.br/cbtms/english/


Members\' Reports and Good Practice Models

We are listing here the new members reports and good practice models since our last Newsletter which you can find on the ISfTeH website as follows : http://www.isft.net/cms/index.php?members_reports http://www.isft.net/cms/index.php?good_practice_models

Members\' Reports:
- The Role of Society For Telemedicine and e-Health in Nigeria in Implementing National Telemedicine and e- Health Strategy (Nigeria)
- Project on Rehabilitation of Beslan Town Residents Using Latest DiViSy Telemedicine Technologies and Equipment (Russia)
- A Little Bag as Diagnosis and Digital Echography: a Virtual Ambulatory near the Patient (Italy)

Good Practice Models:
- Best Practice Model for Teleconsultation in Maxillo-Facial Surgery and Stomatology (Ukraine)


Education

e-MED: Center of Excellence in e-Medicine (Australia)
The Centre of Excellence in E-Medicine (e-Med) is a centre of excellence with a focus on point of care medical testing and diagnosis of diseases that currently require patient transfer to hospitals.
e-Med is developing:
- Diagnostic devices;
- With a focus on the development of portable non-invasive diagnostic tools;
- Imaging Science;
- Guiding the screeners for early detection of disease;
- With a focus on point of care and remote area medicine; and
- Software development for clinical needs such as colorectal cancer and musculoskeletal problems;
- Health services research that will evaluate the effectiveness of new devices and methods of patient treatment and support;
- Education and Training packages for remotely located health care professionals and health workers;
- Haptics and surgical training tools for clinicians and medical students; and
- Remote Clinical services that are digital and non-invasive.
e-Med will be providing distance education courses to medical students, nurses, health care professionals, general practitioners and other health care workers from around the world. For more information on e-Med or its education courses, please refer to www.emedicine.com.au or contact Centre Manager Sue Wong ( // wongleiorgau\"">suewongleiorgau)

International School & Conference "Telemedicine - Experience and Prospects" (Ukraine)
The first School&Conference was successfully lead in February, 2005. There were a lot of participants from Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Norway. A lot of reports, presentations and discussions about clinical teleconsultations, telemedicine implemintations in regional health care, eHealth sucesses and failures, distant education, efficiency and economy of telemedicine has been made. During event a few special presentations have been lead: International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth (ISfTeH), �Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare�, �Ukrainian Journal of Telemedicine and Medical Telematics�. Considering importance of an exchange of experience in telemedicine and eHealth, and success of the lead event it decided to hold another School&Conference in 2006. Main topics: theory science and management of telemedicine and eHealth; clinical telemedicine; experience of telemedicine in regional and rural health care; efficiency of telemedicine and eHealth; eLearninig; GRID for health care system; health care informatisation of Ukraine; technical decisions and software for telemedicine and eHealth; home telemedicine and mobile telemedicine; ethics and laws for telemedicine and eHealth. We are warmly invite participants, speakers, poster representatives! Also, we are very proud to inform that �Telemedicine - Experience and Prospects�-2006 will be supported by ISfTeH.
All additional information is to be found under : http://www.telemed.org.ua/Seminar/eng/seminarmain.html.
Contact: // telemedorgua\"">avvtelemedorgua
The School-Conference will take place in Donetsk, Ukraine, 22-24 March 2006.

IITEC 2006
Information about the "Intensive and Interdisciplinary Telemedicine & eHealth Course" which will take place in Strasbourg, France, starting April 8th, is now available on : www.iitec.org.
Calling for lecturers and students !

Media Partnership

J.T.T.
As a result of the agreement with the JOURNAL of TELEMEDICINE and TELECARE, published by RSM Press Ltd. in London, ISfTeH members can now take advantage of Discounted Subscription Rates (including online access to all issues published since 1996). Please download the Order Coupon from the ISfTeH website under http://www.isft.net/cms/download.php?id=73888,289,1.
If you need any additional information, please contact // isftnet\"">infoisftnet or // rsmacuk\"">rsmjournalsrsmacuk (with ref. 05JTTISfTeH).

We are also pleased to refer to articles by our members published in J.T.T.:
* Volume 11 - Number 6-2005: Anton V. VLADZYMYRSKYY : Four years experience of teleconsultations in daily clinical practice.
We encourage all members of the ISfTeH to submit articles for possible publication in this official Journal of the ISfTeH!


Members

For a complete list of the present ISfTeH members, please go to: http://www.isft.net/cms/index.php?member_directory

We are most pleased to welcome following new members (since our last Newsletter):

National:
- Society For Telemedicine and eHealth in Nigeria (Nigeria)
- Malaysian Health Informatics Association (Malaysia)
- Society for Medical Informatics of BiH (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

Associate:
- Medical Association of Sao Lourenco do Sul SOMESUL (Brazil)

Institutional:
- Central Hospital of Russian Railways (Russia)

The ISfTeH counts presently 15 "National" members.

We look forward to welcoming further Associate, Institutional and Corporate members.

Membership applications can be made online via: http://www.isft.net/cms/index.php?membership_online


Conferences and Events

A list of the ISfTeH supported events can be found on the ISfTeH website at www.isft.net/cms/index.php?id=64,0,0,1,0,0.

ISfTeH supported events in 2005 include:

Already past
- Feb. 2005: 4th ASEM Conference on e-Commerce - London, UK (www.asemec-london.org)
- Mar. 2005: International Conference on Telemedicine - Bangalore, India www.intelemedindia2005.com)
- Apr. 2005: Med-e-Tel 2005 - Luxembourg, G.D. of Luxembourg (www.medetel.lu)
- Apr. 2005: Telemed 2005 - Berlin, Germany (www.telemed-berlin.de)
- Apr. 2005: 10th Finnish National Conference on Telemedicine and eHealth - Lappeenranta, Finland (www.ekshp.fi/fi/telem)
- Aug. 2005: 5th SFT International Conference - Brisbane, Australia (www.uq.edu.au/sft)

Still to come
- Oct. 2005: 10th ISfTeH International Conference - Sao Paulo, Brazil (www.cbtms.com.br/isft/)
- Oct. 2005: International Conference "Information and Telemedical Technologies in Health Care" devoted to 50th anniversary of medical cybernetics and informatics in Russia - Moscow, Russia (www.congress2005.pedklin.ru)
- Nov. 2005: TeleMed & eHealth \'05 - London, UK (www.rsm.ac.uk/telemedicine)

We are also opening the list for 2006
- Mar. 2006: 2nd International Conference and School on Telemedicine experiences and Prospects - Donetsk, Ukraine (http://www.telemed.org.ua/Seminar/eng/seminarmain.html)
- Apr. 2006: MED-e-TEL 2006 - Luxembourg, G.D. of Luxembourg (www.medetel.lu)
- Jun. 2006: TTeC 2006 : Telemedicine and eHealth Beyond Tomorrow - Tromsoe, Norway (www.telemed.no/ttec2006)
- Aug. 2006: Cartagena Telemedicine Conference - CTMC 2006 - Cartagena, Colombia (http://www.colombiantelemed.org/News/Cartagena.pdf)
- Nov. 2006: 11th ISfTeH International Conference - Cape Town, South Africa (more information and website opening to be released soon)

For more information about the Conference in Sao Paulo, please refer to the ad hoc chapter in this Newsletter.

The ISfTeH Board will also meet in London at the occasion of the TeleMed & eHealth \'05 Conference in London (28th - 29th November, 2005). Full program and registration can be found on the website under : http://www.rsm.ac.uk/academ/fmttelem.htm.


Next Newsletter

The ISfTeH newsletters will be sent on a quarterly basis. The next one is planned around January/February 2006. Members\' contributions are most welcome. Please send in your announcements, press releases, reports of events, requests, etc. to // isftnet\"">contactisftnet. Copies of previous Newsletters can be found at www.isft.net/newsletter/newsarchive.php.

For your convenience, please find below some direct links to information which can be found on www.isft.net:

The ISfTeH website is a major tool of communication for the Society. We invite all members to regularly visit it, but also to actively participate in its build-up by sending in useful information, reports, good practice models, etc...
We would particularly like to draw the attention to the following sections:
- Membership Application
- Members\' Reports
- Good Practice Models
- Education
- Media Partners & Press Releases

Your e-mail address has been added to the distribution list of the newsletter as a Member or a Partner of the ISfTeH or after subscription on the www.isft.net website.

If the ISfTeH Newsletter should be addressed to another person within your organization or if additional e-mail addresses within your company or organization should be added to the distribution list, please send contact details to // isftnet\"">contactisftnet.

If you feel you have received this message in error and would no longer like to receive this newsletter, please reply (to // isftnet\"">contactisftnet) with \'unsubscribe\' in the subject.

Newsletter # 5 International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth www.isft.net

In this newsletter:
- Welcome word from the ISfTeH President
- News from our Members
- 10th ISfTeH International Conference (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- 11th ISfTeH International Conference (Cape Town, South Africa)
- Education
- Media Partnership
- Members
- Conferences and Events
- Next Newsletter

Welcome word from the ISfTeH President

Dear ISfTeH members and friends,

As a lot is happening every day in the field of Telemedicine and eHealth, I am glad to present you this fifth newsletter to keep you informed about what is happening in and around the ISfTeH.

In the last newsletter I told you about several events. I am glad to report that one of these events that already took place a few weeks ago has been a major success: the 10th ISfTeH International Conference in Sao Paulo, Brasil (23.10-26.10). Our friends and ISfTeH members from Brasil hosted a great conference. Gy�rgy Mikl�s B�hm and his team did a fantastic job and the conference is definitely a worthy successor in the already quite long line of ISfTeH conferences. The meeting was highlighted by the presence and the presentations of the Presidents of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) and the Canadian Society of Telehealth (CST). The program of the meeting is still available on the website http://www.cbtms.com.br/congresso/2005/mensagemeng.asp . I myself had the honour to take part in a special symposium about �Urgencies and Traumas in Telemedicine�, which was very well organized and drew major interest.

The next appointment in your Telemedicine and eHealth calendar is the MED-e-TEL 2006, Luxembourg from 05. April - 07. April 2006. The Med-e-Tel is THE fair in our field. In fact it is even more than that, as the organizers do such an incredibly good job that international organisations such as WHO, ITU, the EUROPEAN COMMISSION and others use Med-e-Tel as a meeting place for conferences and work meetings. So, if you want to get in touch with an international community, this is the place to go. You can get more information on the website www.medetel.lu .

Immediately after this fair from 8-12 April 2006, the �Intensive, Interdisciplinary Telemedicine and eHealth Course 2006� (IITEC 2006) will take place. This course will be a great opportunity for starters in the T&eH field to get an overview, for professionals it will be a possibility to get contacts as well as to have in-depth discussions with specialists. Please view the available information on www.iitec.org. But be aware that the available places are strictly limited, as we want the course to be practical orientated and �hands-on�. Therefore, the groups will be kept small. The course as a joint venture with the ISU (the International Space University) will take place in the beautiful city of Strasbourg in France.

The preparation for the 11. ISfTeH International Conference is already well on it way. The next ISfTeH conference will take place for the first time on the African continent in Cape Town, South Africa. The dates are now fixed: 26.11 - 29.11.2006. The South African Telemedicine and eHealth community is very active and we are looking forward to gain new insights in their approach to the subject.

We all look forward at ISfTeH to meeting you in great numbers at all these events. Please already block the dates in your calendars.

Yours sincerely,

Prof. Michael Nerlich, MD PhD
President of the ISfTeH


News from Our Members

International Core Trial On Medical Data Transmission - ICTOMDT (Austria)

First Announcement. In the telemedicine and telehealth world , numerous people say : the time of "projects", "R/D programs" is over . Today it is the time of concrete applications on the field. We have the new transmission technology ready, we have very clever and effective devices , we know how the medical world is ongoing , either in developed countries or in developing countries�.so , it is really time to apply !

In that context, it appears necessary to focus our attention on the real capacities for transmission network to be useful in any medical care situation, in any country. So, we propose to use the same recorder-transmitter device : the Mobil Care Unit (MCU) as the device means and to built around this unique device a so called "International Core Trial On Medical Data Transmission". MCU is a new device entity developed by TMA-medical, an Austrian company . All the information about is already on the company\'s website : www.tma-medical.com . On the same website you can find a slight trial ppt presentation or you can go directly to : http://www.tma-medical.com/ETEN_ICTOMDT/International_Core_Trial_for_Medical _Data_Transmission.ppt

The aim of this trial is:

1. To select several European and non European countries as candidate . For that it needs to know which type of transmission network exists in those countries , and which medical situation could be choose to be explored during the trial.
2. To propose to those countries a "core protocol" around MCU . This draft protocol have to be circulating before to be accepted.
3. To present this trial protocol to e-TEN to be accepted and to be financially supported by. This suppose to have a final protocol version on time according the dead line of e-TEN year call (see the calendar in the ppt presentation).
4. the ongoing trial period will start by a common work meeting, training about the MCU use, and to confirm the national organisation with each national manager. The all trial period is one year, with an interim check after 6 months.

Please check � and do it , become a country candidate�! Candidates should make themselves known as soon as possible and definitely before Dec. 15th, 2005. Therefore and/or for additional information, please contact Dr. Andr� PETITET ( // aolcom\"" href="\"mailto:apcargaolcom\"">apcargaolcom )

Medical Association of Sao Louren�o do Sul - SOMESUL (Brazil)

The Medical Association of Sao Louren�o do Sul � SOMESUL - is a not-for-profit medical organization, with educational and scientific purpose, founded in the year 1999 and headquartered in the City of Sao Louren�o do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul State � Brazil.

At this moment, the Institution has 48 individual members. The SOMESUL is committed to promote and to sponsor projects in 4 major areas:

1. The organization of an Annual Program of Medical Conferences and Seminars, as well as a Scientific Recycling Program for Non Medical Health Care Professionals.
2. The maintenance of a Distance Education Program, offering multidisciplinary post graduate courses, with satellite and Internet teletransmission.
3. The development and implementation of Telemedicine Applications, as well as the scientific presentation and publication of these telemedical projects data. Nowadays it includes a Tele-ECG, a Tele-X Ray (both ongoing) and a Tele-Pathology and Tele-Psychiatry project (under development).
4. The development and implementation of a Telemedicine Network, with up to date Information Technology (I.T.) and �User Friendly� Telemedicine Applications � to be established in both rural and urban regional hospitals and in outpatient health care units.

Considering the lack of medical specialties in small cities and rural areas of Brazil, the SOMESUL works to the development and implementation of Telehealth Applications in an attempt to overcome this situation. Since the year 2000, the Medical Association of Sao Louren�o do Sul (SOMESUL) has established Telemedical applications in the area of Tele-electrocardiography (in 3 health care units, including a rural and a urban hospital and an outpatient care unit). It includes facilities for both near-real-time transmission (emergency cases) and store-and-forward internet transmission (routine clinical evaluation).

In 2004, a Teleradiology project began in 2 regional hospitals, with internet transmission of X-ray Digital Photos. These Telemedical Projects were established in 2 small and remote cities (Sao Louren�o do Sul: 44.000 inhabitants and Turu�u: 4.000 inhabitants) in the State of Rio Grande do Sul - the Southern Brazilian State. Now, a Project of Telepathology and of Telepsichyatry is under development for regional implementation. In the year 2003 the "Medical Association of Sao Louren�o do Sul" and the "PUCRS Virtual University/Brazil" established a joint Project for Teleeducation (distance education), with satellite and internet transmission of multidisciplinary educational programs.

As an ISfTeH affiliated, the Medical Association of Sao Louren�o do Sul aims:

1. To participate in ISfTeH Scientific Meetings.
2. To get additional expertise in other telemedicine areas.
3. To exchange information and to find solutions for the establishment and widespread implementation of telemedicine in underdeveloped and developing countries.
4. To exchange professional experience on national and international level in the field of telehealth.
5. To encourage all SOMESUL members to present and to publish papers in the field of telemedicine, telenursing and health informatics.

SOMESUL WEB-PAGE: www.somesul.org.br Adolfo L.F.Sparenberg, MD, MSc, Vice-President SOMESUL // hotmailcom\"" href="\"mailto:adolfosparenberghotmailcom\"">adolfosparenberghotmailcom

Society For Telemedicine and eHealth in Nigeria (Nigeria)

The ISfTeH received following message from the President of the SFTeHIN, Dr. Joseph AWOLOLA, dated 23rd October, at the time of the 10th ISfTeH International Conference in Sao Paulo. We wish to share it with all ISfTeH members.

GOODWILL MESSAGE OF Dr. JOSEPH AWOLOLA, PRESIDENT SOCIETY FOR TELEMEDICINE AND eHEALTH IN NIGERIA TO THE 10th CONGRESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY for TELEMEDICINE AND eHEALTH TO BE HOSTED IN SAO PAULO BRAZIL FROM 23-26 OCTOBER 2005.

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to start by thanking the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth for supporting my effort to get an Association started in Nigeria that I am presiding over and serve as a National Member in ISfTeH. The Society for Telemedicine and eHealth in Nigeria will be six months old this month, same day as the congress is starting.

My special regard to Professor Gy�rgy Miklos B�HM, the host of this congress and the entire executive secretariat run by Sonia WINTER for giving me the necessary support to get a visa to Brazil as well as make my stay comfortable. Thank you very much for the anticipated hospitality. Unfortunately, the Brazilian embassy in Abuja could not get confirmation until date.

I wish everybody participating at the congress a successful event.

As National member in the ISfTeH we had organized a multinational interdisciplinary stakeholders meeting on developing sustainable telemedicine and eHealth program for Nigeria from which recommendations have been submitted to the Federal Government of Nigeria through the appropriate Ministries for implementation.

On the 20th October 2005, the Honourable Minister of Health, Federal Republic of Nigeria, at a two-day workshop held at the Digital Bridge Institute Abuja, Nigeria, presented his keynote address at the premiere telemedicine and eHealth workshop, organized by the National eGovernment Strategies in collaboration with the Society for Telemedicine and eHealth in Nigeria.

I quote him : "I would like to start by thanking the almighty God and the organizers of this workshop for giving me the opportunity to present this keynote address as a Minister of Health of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on a subject which I wrote a paper as a young academician and health systems researcher a few decades ago. This information is important because it demonstrates that I have been a convert of telemedicine for long time".

In conclusion, he said, Government will adopt eHealth as one of the vehicles to bring healthcare to all in Nigeria. This means that in effect, the health sector led by my Ministry will make full use of the resources available at the Nigerian National eGovernment portal.

This is a testimony of what a National eHealth Association can do to facilitate the development of eHealth in her country. I therefore encourage the 10th Congress to help facilitate the formation of more national members which will help the ISfTeH to accomplish its MISSION.

Society for Telemedicine and eHealth in Nigeria is inviting you all tot PACTe, the Pan African Conference on Telemedicine and eHealth holding at the International Conference Centre Abuja, Nigeria, from 19-21 June, 2006. It is an event supported by SFTeHIN to help dissemination of knowledge in telemedicine in Nigeria as well as the continent of Africa.

Theme : Overcoming Continental Challenges in Healthcare Using ICT. This is dedicated to advancing the application of telemedicine and eHealth to healthcare in Africa; it will bring together experts in healthcare and technology from the public and private sectors in Africa and beyond. Details will be available soon.

We look forward to see you mid year 2006 in Nigeria and later in the year in Cape Town, South Africa, for the 11th Congress of the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth.

Wishing our South African colleagues a successful hosting of the forthcoming congress on the continent. SFTeHIN is ready to support you in whatever capacity you might want us to participate within the limits of our capability.

Let us all keep up the good works and together we make the world a healthier place for all to live.

Best Wishes. signed : Dr. Joseph AWOLOLA, President SFTeHIN // sftehinorg\"" href="\"mailto:drawololasftehinorg\"">drawololasftehinorg


10th ISfTeH International Conference (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

The 10th ISfTeH International Conference took place on Oct. 23rd-26th in Sao Paulo in conjunction with the 2nd National Conference of the Brazilian Telemedicine & Telehealth Association, under the presidency of Dr. Gyorgy Miklos Bohm of the CBTms and Prof. M. Nerlich of the ISfTeH. We were also honoured with the presence of A.T.A.\'s President, Thelma McClosky Armstrong and Executive Director Jonathan D. Linkous. Other remarked presences were Richard Scott, President of the Canadian Telemedicine Society, Ricky Richardson, President of the UK eHealth Association and Shaip Muja of the Telemedicine Association of Kosova. The Conference has been a major success, gathering about 300 participants from about 20 countries. Several Conference sessions attracted major interest such as TeleTraumatology, TeleOdontology, TeleNursing. The "International" session of the ISfTeH also was mind-opening, with special mention regarding the South African and Indian presentations. ISfTeH would like to address herewith its most heartfelt thanks to the local organising committee and in particular to Prof. Gy�rgy B�hm, President of the Brazilian Telemedicine & Telehealth Association and his entire team. Sao Paulo will definitely remain an important milestone in the series of ISfTeH\'s International Conferences. Abstracts of the presentations can be found on the ISfTeH website under : http://www.isft.net/cms/index.php?saopaulo2005 .


11th ISfTeH International Conference (Cape Town, South Africa)

We are pleased to already announce the next ISfTeH International Conference. It will be held in the fair city of Cape Town (South Africa) on Nov. 26th-29th, 2006. More details will soon be available on the ISfTeH website. Please stand-by but block already the dates in your agendas. This promises to be a very important international gathering, a Premiere for Africa ! Don\'t miss it !


Education

CENTRE of EXCELLENCE in e-MEDICINE (Australia)
The Centre of Excellence in e-Medicine will be holding a short course in Medical Informatics at the end of March 2006 in Perth, Western Australia. To register your interest in this course, please email // emedicinecomau\"" href="\"mailto:infoemedicinecomau\"">infoemedicinecomau. For more information on e-Medicine or its education courses, please refer towww.emedicine.com.au.

IITEC 2006
Information about the "Intensive and Interdisciplinary Telemedicine & eHealth Course" which will take place in Strasbourg, France, starting April 8th, is now available on : www.iitec.org. Calling for lecturers and students!

Media Partnership

- J.T.T.
ISfTeH members can take advantage of Discounted Subscription Rates (including online access to all issues published since 1996). Please download the Order Coupon from the ISfTeH website under http://www.isft.net/cms/download.php?id=73888,289,1. If you need any additional information, please contact // isftnet\"" href="\"mailto:infoisftnet\"">infoisftnet or // rsmacuk\"" href="\"mailto:rsmjournalsrsmacuk\"">rsmjournalsrsmacuk (with ref. 05JTTISfTeH)


Members

For a complete list of the present ISfTeH members, please go to : http://www.isft.net/cms/index.php?member_directory.

We are most pleased to welcome following new members (since our last Newsletter):

Corporate:
- HealthSystems Consultants Ltd. - U.K.

We look forward to welcome further Associate, Institutional and Corporate members. Membership applications can be made online via : http://www.isft.net/cms/index.php?membership_online.


Conferences and Events

A list of the ISfTeH supported events can be found on the ISfTeH website at www.isft.net/cms/index.php?id=64,0,0,1,0,0.

ISfTeH supported events in 2005 include:

Already past:
- Feb. 2005: 4th ASEM Conference on e-Commerce - London, UK (www.asemec-london.org)
- Mar. 2005: International Conference on Telemedicine - Bangalore, India www.intelemedindia2005.com)
- Apr. 2005: Med-e-Tel 2005 - Luxembourg, G.D. of Luxembourg (www.medetel.lu)
- Apr. 2005: Telemed 2005 - Berlin, Germany (www.telemed-berlin.de)
- Apr. 2005: 10th Finnish National Conference on Telemedicine and eHealth - Lappeenranta, Finland (www.ekshp.fi/fi/telem)
- Aug. 2005: 5th SFT International Conference - Brisbane, Australia (www.uq.edu.au/sft)
- Oct. 2005: 10th ISfTeH International Conference - Sao Paulo, Brazil (www.cbtms.com.br/isft/)
- Oct. 2005: International Conference "Information and Telemedical Technologies in Health Care" devoted to 50th anniversary of medical cybernetics and informatics in Russia - Moscow, Russia (www.congress2005.pedklin.ru)

Still to come:
- Nov. 2005: TeleMed & eHealth \'05 - London, UK (www.rsm.ac.uk/telemedicine)

List for 2006:
- Mar. 2006: 2nd International Conference and School on Telemedicine experiences and Prospects - Donetsk, Ukraine (http://www.telemed.org.ua/Seminar/eng/seminarmain.html)
- Apr. 2006: MED-e-TEL 2006 - Luxembourg, G.D. of Luxembourg (www.medetel.lu)
- Jun. 2006: TTeC 2006 : Telemedicine and eHealth Beyond Tomorrow - Troms�, Norway (www.telemed.no/ttec2006)
- Jun. 2006: Pan African Conference on Telemedicine & eHealth (PACTe) - Abuja, Nigeria (website to be named)
- Aug./Sep. 2006 : Cartagena Telemedicine Conference - CTMC 2006 - Cartagena, Colombia (http://www.colombiantelemed.org/News/Cartagena.pdf)
- Nov. 2006: 11th ISfTeH International Conference - Cape Town, South Africa (website to be named)

The ISfTeH Board is meeting in London at the occasion of the TeleMed & eHealth \'05 Conference (28th-29th November, 2005). Full program and registration can be found on the website under : http://www.rsm.ac.uk/academ/fmttelem.htm

Next Newsletter

The ISfTeH newsletters will be sent on a quarterly basis. The next one is planned around January/February 2006. Members\' contributions are most welcome. Please send in your announcements, press releases, reports of events, requests, etc. to // isftnet\"" href="\"mailto:contactisftnet\"">contactisftnet. Copies of previous Newsletters can be found at www.isft.net/newsletter/newsarchive.php.

For your convenience, please find below some direct links to information which can be found on www.isft.net:

The ISfTeH website is a major tool of communication for the Society. We invite all members to regularly visit it, but also to actively participate in its build-up by sending in useful information, reports, good practice models, etc.

We would particularly like to draw the attention to the following sections:

- Membership Application
- Members\' Reports
- Good Practice Models
- Education
- Media Partners & Press Releases

Your e-mail address has been added to the distribution list of the newsletter as a Member or a Partner of the ISfTeH or after subscription on the www.isft.net website.

If the ISfTeH Newsletter should be addressed to another person within your organization or if additional e-mail addresses within your company or organization should be added to the distribution list, please send contact details to // isftnet\"" href="\"mailto:contactisftnet\"">contactisftnet.

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December 7th, 2005

Revision: ISfT webmaster - 2009/12/31, 08:54