Telemedicine in India: the Apollo story.

The challenges faced and the methods implemented by the Apollo Hospitals Group in introducing telemedicine in the Indian setting are discussed in this article. Using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to make available secondary and tertiary medical expertise to suburban and rural India was thought of as early as 1997. In March 2000, the world's first Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT)-enabled village hospital was commissioned. Today, with 115 centers including 9 overseas, the Apollo Telemedicine Networking Foundation (ATNF) is the oldest and largest multispecialty telemedicine network. More than 57,000 teleconsultations in various disciplines, ranging from sexual medicine to neurosurgery, have been provided. Patients have been evaluated from distances ranging from 120 to 4,500 miles. A majority (85%) of these teleconsults were reviews. The successful proof of concept validation studies, carried out from 2000 to 2001 by Apollo, were instrumental in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) including telemedicine as a major thrust area. The pioneering role played by Apollo is also discussed in using VSAT-enabled Hospitals on Wheels. The paper reviews the significant role played by ATNF in the growth and development of telemedicine in South Asia. Academic activities are also highlighted. The pioneering efforts in the field of m-health, home telecare, the Pan African e-Network Project, starting the first formal educational course in telehealth and various other e-initiatives are elaborated.