Technology in the service of health: telemedicine and tele-rehabilitation

The epidemic has made Peru go from moment to moment, from nothing, in terms of the use of health technology, to achieving the necessary progress in health care, thanks to the contributions and facilities of the Ministry of the sector.

This is how Oscar Huabaya, an IT physician and head of the biological computing unit at Grupo San Pablo, speaks in “Techno Nation,” who talks about the most drastic changes observed in the past year in terms of health and use of technologies.

He pointed out that “in Peru, there was little use of health technology tools, but all this made us run, as Chile used this type of technology for twenty years, and the United States for forty years.”

Today, both telemedicine and tele-consultations are available to all Peruvians, he added, but there are no specialized studies on information technology and how to apply it to medicine in our country.

He commented, “I had to do my master’s degree in biomedical informatics at the University of Peru Caiitano Heredia, but in other countries like Argentina, they have this major.”

He added that information technology allows to change the concept of health as we always see it in the treatment of the doctor and the patient, as treatment with patients has improved greatly.

“With this technology, in addition, medical records and records are digitized in a way that makes the patient’s attention instant through remote consultations when he migrates or is referred from one hospital to another. In other words, with these digital tools, the doctors who take care of their patients can access their medical records. With one click, to be able to provide the right treatment, “he explained in Nacional.

In this sense, he said that the fact that remote consultations are conducted allows taking care of patients who live in remote areas, with direct contact between the patient and the doctor.

“Something new is happening in our country that is being implemented through an experimental plan, and it is remote rehabilitation that is offered especially to patients who have overcome the Coronavirus, but have some consequences, for example, for those who have to do this respiratory therapy. This is an excellent alternative for this type of patient, ”Dr. Huabaya stated.