The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Apollo Telemedicine Enterprises Ltd (ATEL) and a Public Charitable Trust, Aragonda Apollo Medical & Educational Research Foundation (AAMERF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Hyderabad on November 15, 2000 for conducting a Pilot Project for Telemedicine. Under this three years project, a telemedicine network will be established between the Apollo Hospital, Chennai, Aragonda Apollo Medical & Educational Research Foundation, ISRO Hospitals at Sriharikota and ISRO Health Centre at Bangalore to extend super-speciality consultancy from Apollo Hospital, Chennai to the other connected hospitals in the network.
ISRO will provide the necessary communication links via its INSAT satellites for the telemedicine network and also equip its hospitals at Sriharikota and Bangalore with the compatible medical equipment. Apollo group will equip their hospitals with medical equipment such as ECG System Receiving Station, Scanners, Dermotology, Physical Examination, and Digital cameras for Microscope Pathology & Microbiology, etc., in their hospitals that will be compatible with the tele-medicine network. The project is aimed at evaluating the telemedicine network to extend super-speciality consultations to rural areas in the country.
