Bangalore: US-based TeleVital Inc, which has developed a browser-based integrated electronic patient care system, has announced its operations and the launch of its VitalWeb software in India, which is expected to benefit telemedicine players in the country.

Inaugurating the Indian operations Karnataka state minister for higher and medical education Dr G Parameswara said, the government has an ambitious plan to start telemedicine in the district hospitals and then extend it to taluks and later to public health centres.

“The government is planning to set up a task force comprising Televital, government departments and hospitals to coordinate the entire telemedicine programme in the state,” he said.

Telemedicine is the most effective method to extend specialty care to the rural people, who do not have the money or the accessibility to avail of medical service otherwise, he added.

Addressing the media, TeleVital president and CEO Kishore Kumar said, “Telemedicine is an area with huge growth potential, as the time and cost involved in availing super-speciality health care could be minimised by using it.” “In India, telemedicine will help people in remote geographical areas get the services of a medical specialist in real time,” Mr Kumar said.

TeleVital’s telemedicine initiative would focus on Karnataka initially and would then be extended to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep,” Mr Kumar said.