1. What was the problem that ATNF was trying to solve in India? Will a similar solution work for Peru? Why or why not? (3 points)
People in rural areas in India didn’t have access to best health care methods or the quality of service they got was not up to the mark. Neither the people nor the local consultants had the access to specialists or modern techniques. Patients had to travel to urban areas to consult any specialist. So, ATNF was trying to bridge that gap of accessibility and improve the quality of service. Major problems were:
Shortage of physicians, nurses and health care facilities—One physician per 1000 people
70% people in rural areas had no access to medical care or 700 million people had no direct access
With the disease incidence rate increasing at an alarming rate awareness campaigns were still conducted in the traditional way of consultants travelling to places
Yes, a similar system would work well for Peru because:
The mobile penetration rate in Peru is 110 and internet penetration rate is 39.2 which is much higher than India’s 73.9 and 12.6
Peru has 83% Spanish speaking population so the language barrier that ATNF faced is cut down.
There is demand in Peru in health department as there is only 1.1 doctor per 1000 people and the policies have shown that government backs any such initiatives
Peru population is heavily skewed around Lima; many areas still lack specialist facilities in medicine so a similar solution would work.
2. What ICT is needed to provide telemedicine services? Group these technologies as hardware, software, network, databases, etc. (4 points)
Software
Hardware
Connectivity
Databases
MedIntegra: Software developed by ANTF that collects patient data and converts into a secure EMR and is transferred to TSC, based on the data sent specialist advices or opinions.
Consultation Centre: PCs, High Definition Video Camera, Electronic Stethoscope, ECG Machine
Service Centers: PCs, TV Screen, High Definition Camera
VSAT Connectivity and an ISDN line with a bandwidth of 384 kbps as a backup
Apollo Centralized database for storage of Electronic Medical Records that connected both TCC and TSC
Telemedicine services also need Specialists at the TSC and consultants or physicians who can operate equipment at TCC.
3. What is VSAT technology and how does it work? What do you need to provide VSAT service in a developing country? This answer is not in the case, and will require you to research on the Internet. (3 points)
Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) is a two way satellite ground station that connects terminals installed at dispersed sites connecting to a central hub via satellite using small diameter antennas. The VSAT comprises of two modules - an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. The outdoor unit consists of an Antenna and Radio Frequency Transceiver (RFT). The antenna size is typically 1.8 metre or 2.4 metre in diameter, although smaller antennas are also in use. The indoor unit functions as a modem and also interfaces with the end user equipment like standalone PCs, LANs, Telephones or an EPABX. VSAT has indoor and outdoor components.
Outdoor Unit: Antenna system consists of a reflector, feedhorn and a mount. The FEED HORN directs the transmitted power towards the antenna dish or collects the received power from it. The RFT is mounted on the antenna frame and is interconnected to the feed horn. RFT consists of different subsystems: low noise Amplifiers (LNA)
