Leading cardiac care centre Narayana Hrudayalaya has launched its telemedicine operations for the African Union as part of the Central government’s Pan-African e-Network Project.

The project, inaugurated in February 2009, envisages sharing India’s expertise in education and healthcare with the 53 African countries through satellite and fiber optic network.

Narayana Hrudayalaya has built its own sound-proof studio with the parameters of decibels laid down by Telecom-munications Consultants India (TCIL) – the agency that implements the project.

“We are honoured to run the Pan-African e-Network for the entire sub-Saharan countries focusing on comprehensive telem-edicine solutions for healthcare. We will actively deliver quick and quality healthcare solutions to the masses through the aid of TCIL’s channel of connectivity,” said Devi Shetty, chairman of Narayana Hrudayalaya. “The quality of healthcare infrastructure in most of the African countries is poor. Pan African e-Network will help us in keeping our objective of servicing the poorer sections of society without compromising on quality. Using technological solutions such as the satellite link in this project, we will be able to reach some of the most remote areas to offer quick and effective healthcare solutions,” he said.

Under the project, 12 leading super-specialty hospitals, including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Escorts Heart institute, Care Hospital, Hyderabad, and Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore, will provide online medical consultation in various medical disciplines every day to each participating African country for five years.

The external affairs ministry is the nodal agency for the project, which is funded by the Union government with an approved budgeted cost of Rs 542.90 crore.

In the first phase, 11 African countries - Ethiopia, Senegal, Seychelles, Benin, Gabon, The Gambia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Ghana and Burkina Faso—will be connected a through a dedicated satellite.

The second and third phase will see the addition of 18 more countries by the end of June and the remaining countries too will become part of the network subsequently.

Seven Indian educational institutions — Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Amity University, University of Madras, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, University of Delhi and Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur—will also associate themselves with the pan-African project for tele-educational purposes.