ESA issues new Invitations to Tender for Telemedicine


The first ITT is 'Management of Medical Emergency for Commercial Aviation' and calls for a portable telemedicine system which can help diagnosis from on-board civil aircraft, by allowing aircraft and ground based medical centres to exchange Interactive Multimedia data.

The second activity is aimed at dealing with healthcare crisis' such as the catastrophic Tsunami that hit Asia at the end of 2004. 'Health Early Warning' will gather data and predict the spread of contagious disease.

 

'Interconnectivity for Healthcare Services and Professional Medical Education bridging Communities in Eastern and Western Europe' focuses on education of medical consultation and healthcare professional. One medical system in an east European country and another in a west European country will participate.


The World Health Organisation

 

These projects will be implemented by ESA with the technical assistance of the World Health Organisation to demonstrate the exploitation of Satcom in Telemedicine and validate the associated sustainability through a user driven approach.

ESA and telemedicine
Since 1996, ESA has supported activities in the challenging domain of Telemedicine. The Projects have provided a valuable contribution and allowed identification and exploration of new technical solutions and applications with clear potential of becoming part of future Telemedicine practices.

The use of satellite-based Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) for Telemedicine is currently progressing from the scouting phase towards a more stable and operational profile. Integration into existing healthcare systems and the attainment of self-sustainability is increasingly becoming an essential condition for success.

 

The three ITT's have been issued based on the reccommendations of the Telemedicine Working Group, which, in December 2004, had identified five purely medical areas where satellite technology could play a significant role:

  • management of emergencies, disasters and trauma
  • mobility of patients
  • health early warning systems
  • healthcare at home
  • eHealth education

The ITT's are to demonstrate the exploitation of Satcom in Telemedicine and validate the associated sustainability through a user driven approach. The ultimate goal of this action is to pave the way for a European Telemedicine via Satellite Programme of direct benefit to the Health community.

To access English and French language versions of the documents related to the Invitation to Tender click under external links at the top-right of this page.

To read more about what ESA has already accomplished in the area of Telemedicine via Satellite click under related links at the top-right of this page.

Published 22 June 2012
Last updated at 06 August 2014 - 10:38