Telemedicine in Georgia

In Georgia there were implemented two ITU supported telemedicine projects. The first one was started in September 1998 and involved the connection of the Institute of Radiology in Tbilisi to the Diagnostic Imaging Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland via the Internet in order to acquire medical second opinions. In the frames of this project Vidar VXR-12-Plus was used for CT and MRI images digitization.

The second telemedicine project – Telecardiology, it was implemented the simple method of ECG transfer using ordinary telephone receiver. It was partly funded with excess revenues generated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom exhibitions. Project enabled a trans-telephonic electrocardiogram for diagnostic and emergency services. The project was one of several others which were implemented in selected developing countries as part of the ITU's strategy to use information technology to help health professionals solve some of the most acute health care issues in developing as well as emerging economies, according to Recommendation Nine of the Valetta Action Plan adopted by the ITU in 1998. Partners in the project include the Tbilisi Cardiac Clinic GULI, Telecommunication Company of Georgia and the Telemedicine Foundation of Russia.

But in Georgia there were implemented other telemedicine projects too. In 1996 and 1997 National Association of Cancer Control established e-mail communication and conducted teleradiological and telemorphological conferences through financial support of Open Society Georgia Foundation. Particularly, X-ray grams, histograms and cancer incidence data base were transferred from Batumi (Adjara region) to Tbilisi National Cancer Center by e-mail.

Heart and Vascular Clinic uses Agfa Deluxe Slide Scanner for teleradiology. The center also transfers phonocardiograms, ECG and Video .avi files to medical centers in Germany and US for second opinion gathering.

Emergency Cardiology Center and National Information Learning Center are implementing telecoronography (telecardiology/teleradiology) – transfer of x-ray images for second opinion to German and Turkish colleagues (by usage the both HP Scanjet and Apple 1 scanner as well as Olympus Camedia D-620L high resolution digital camera).

Center of Disaster and Emergency Medicine has developed software and tested TelCoNet – Teleconsultation network project for emergency medicine.

In 2004 in Georgia was established non governmental organization Georgian Telemedicine Union (Association), which organizes remote consultations and educational sessions in different medical fields. Remote consultations are implementing as in static (through consultational servers and e-mail) so in dynamic (teleconferencing) modes by using NetMeeting. The same approach is used in carrying out of educational sessions. At 2005 Georgian Telemedicine Union (Association) starts implementation of NATO Networking Infrastructure Project “Virtual Health Care Knowledge Center in Georgia”, which aims creation of telemedicine consultation server, organization of e-Learning courses and also set-up of telemedicine unit in Kutaisi. Georgian Telemedicine Union (Association) is also implementing BSEC project “A system to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in BSEC countries with a help of infocommunication technologies” in collaboration with Russia and Ukraine.