Rafiqul Islam
Kyushu University Hospital
Title: The portable health clinic: An innovative tele-healthcare system for unreached communities
Biography
Biography: Rafiqul Islam
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: Two main obstacles to ensuring basic healthcare service in remote areas of developing countries
are the poor doctor-patient ratio and insufficient medical facilities. The Portable Health Clinic (PHC) system made it possible
to provide primary healthcare services to the doorstep of the rural communities in affordable price by providing telemedicine
service in a preventive healthcare way. The PHC system introduces a triage process based on the concept of “Bangladesh
Logic” for the people of Bangladesh and it classifies the subjects under investigation into four categories, namely, (1) green
or healthy (2) yellow or alarming (3) orange or sick and (4) red or emergent, based on the gradual higher risk status of
their health. The subjects under orange and red are primarily diagnosed as in the risky zone who need doctor`s consultancy.
However, the major part of the subjects who are diagnosed in the safe and alarming zone (yellow) can be served by the trained
health workers without medication and they can be mostly prevented not to shift into the risky zone being under the guided
lifestyle. This reduces the pressure on the doctors enabling them to focus on the risky patients who deserve better attention.
The Tele-Pathology module of the PHC system enables the rural diagnostic centers operated by the laboratory technologist
for producing a quality pathological report with the support of the qualified remote pathologist. Thus, the PHC telehealth
care system offers a unique opportunity for ensuring better healthcare service to the unreached rural communities of the
developing countries. Although it was developed aiming to the low-income rural communities, it is found equality useful for
the urban rich aged community for home delivery service due to its portability and easy operation.