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Cloud Links Doctors in Developing World to Specialists in the U.S.

Cloud Links Doctors in Developing World to Specialists in the U.S.Swinfen Charitable Trust, a non-profit service that helps U.S. doctors offer medical advice to rural doctors in the developing world, plans to use the cloud to expand its services in countries such as India and the Philippines. The move is enabled in part by a donation of $100,000 worth of cloud storage and $100,000 in cash, from Verizon Communications Inc. , which announced the aid today at a United Nations conference on innovation among non-profits groups. Swinfen says the gift will allow the organization to expand its remote medical assistance, already offered at 260 sites in more than 60 countries including China, Nepal and Bangladesh. Swinfen plans to use the donation from Verizon to add mobile and video capabilities to its service. The service allows local doctors in developing countries, who are often located in areas that lack specialized medical care, to send a request for specialist consultation. They can use the service to send X-rays, photos and patient notes to Swinfen. The organization then finds the most appropriate specialist from its network of 550 volunteer doctors who offer advice to the overseas doctors by email, said Dr. Karen Rheuban, director of the University of Virginia Health System’s Center for Telehealth and a trustee for Swinfen. “I can’t easily travel to Nepal or China,” said Dr. Rheuban, a pediatric heart specialist who volunteers in Swinfen’s network. “But I can easily squeeze in time to consult on a patient from here.” More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Global | Company: Verizon Communications Inc.  | Source: Wall Street Journal

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