Organised and supported by Vodafone Greece in cooperation with the Athens Medical Centre, Vidavo and the Inter-Municipality Health & Welfare Network OTA

Doctors and nursing staff from several municipalities (which are members of the Inter Municipality Health & Welfare Network OTA) across the country and 4 specialist doctors from the Athens Medical Centre who are taking part in the innovative “Telemedicine” program attended a training course yesterday, Monday March the 3rd, on the use of telemetric systems. After the end of the training course the doctors and nursing staff from the municipalities were provided with equipment used to record life signs (electrocardiograph, spirometer, oxymeter, blood pressure monitor and glucosometer) and a PDA device. The training course, organised and supported by Vodafone Greece, was conducted by instructors from Vidavo, as in the pilot programme in 2006.

The equipment given to doctors, allows them to examine patients with chronic diseases. For example they can take a cardiograph or check respiratory function if asthma is suspected at any of the regional medical offices participating in the program and to transfer those examinations --using the Vodafone Greece GPRS network-- to the Athens Medical Centre to a cardiology or pneumonology expert, who will examine them and send his opinion back in the same way. Consequently, regional medical offices will now be able to offer and specific specialist services additionally to primary healthcare. “Telemedicine” is based on mobile telecommunications technology and offers multiple benefits to all participants. Patients can practice preventative medicine, while at the same time geographical limitations are abolished and the sense of security felt by citizens is strengthened thanks to direct access to specialist doctors. Doctors in the regions can better manage their patients since they can provide specialist healthcare services in remote areas where there is no direct access to a central hospital, while at the same time they also have the opportunity to communicate and work with the specialist of the Athens Medical Centre. After one year of successfully implementing the Telemedicine pilot programme at 5 regional medical offices of the Central Macedonia 2nd Health and Welfare System, the programme is being implemented –at first- in the following municipalities which are members of the Inter Municipality Health & Welfare Network OTA.

• Aliveri (Evia)
• Alyzia (Aitoloakarnania)
• Alykes(Zakynthos)
• Ano Pogoni (Ioannina)
• Therapnes (Laconia)
• Kalloni (Lesvos)
• Kormista (Serres)
• Lambia (Elia)
• Makedonida (Imathia)
• Neo Siderohori, (Rhodopi)
• Nisyros (Dodecanese)
• Paliki(Cephallonia)
• Pallini (Attica)
• Poros (Attica)
• Tilos (Dodecanese)
• Hydrousa (Andros)

For more information please contact:

Ms. Katerina Papakonstantinou, Corporate Communications Manager, Tel. 210 6702166, mob. 6944 800070, fax 210 6702376, e-mail: katerina.papakonstantinou@vodafone.com

Ms. Christina Morfogeni, Senior Media Relations Coordinator, Tel. 210 6702365, mob. 6944 600955, fax 210 6702376, e-mail christina.morfogeni@vodafone.com