Koforidua, Ghana (AP) – Charles Owusu Aseku has traveled through Ghana and beyond in search of care for the great growth of the fabric called a chéloid on his neck since 2002. The 46 -year -old man was becoming more and more frustrated after two unsuccessful surgeries and a trip to South Africa which ended with a consultation.
Aseku was preparing for another medical trip until the end of February, when he joined others in the first trial of 3D telemedicine technology in Ghana propelled computer screens at the back of a van.
People behind the initiative, developed by Microsoft’s research team in partnership with doctors and local researchers, claim that distance assessment will help provide medical consultations to patients awaiting surgery or after an operation, in a region where the doctor / patient ratio is among the lowest in the world.
The project is based on previous tests in Scotland and is now working as a portable system with improved lighting lighting and upgrades.
Once inside the van, the cameras will capture a 3D model of each patient and the image is then projected on a large computer screen. Several doctors can reach the online consultation session and handle the 3D model to assess the patient.
“The idea behind the van is to allow it to travel to the distant villages which do not have specialized care … to carry out a pre or post-surgical consultation,” said Spencer Fowers, main software developer and 3D-Telemicine project manager in Microsoft Research.
The initiative also gives patients the possibility of having several opinions. The Aseku session had doctors from Rwanda, Scotland and Brazil, an experience which, according to him, gave him hope.
“I see a lot of doctors here and I am very happy because the experience will come from each of them and maybe they will find a solution to my problem,” said the 46-year-old.
The researchers hope that the trial at the Koforidua Regional Hospital, in the eastern Ghana region, is the start of a wider project that could extend the service and explore new use cases.
In recent years have seen increasing use of telemedicine, especially from the COVVI-19 pandemic. Experts say that these digital tools can benefit patients in Africa the most because there are so few specialized doctors for 1.4 billion people on the continent.
George Open, 68, was referred to the Korle -Bu university hospital in the capital Accra – almost 100 kilometers from Koforidua Hospital, which is much closer to his home – where he had first gone to look for sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that develops in the bones and soft tissues.
After hearing about the 3D Telemedicine trial, his doctor decided to register it for the process, saving him additional expenses and the stress of long -distance travel.
“This time, I had to sit in a van and present myself and condition not only a doctor, but several of them. I was able to answer all their questions and I hope they will discuss and heal me of my state,” said Opku. “I already feel good and I hope.”
A key challenge for the project is the lack of stable Internet access, a common problem in the distant regions of Africa.
At Korle-Bu university hospital, technology helps patients who need plastic surgery. An inadequate number of plastic surgeons means that patients often have to consult different doctors during each visit.
Dr. Kwame Darko, plastic surgeon consulting at the hospital and one of the main investigators of the project, said that 3D telemedicine could give patients the possibility of being seen by several doctors during a session.
3D technology could make a difference if it was reproduced in Ghana and elsewhere, according to Dr. Ahensan Dasebre, chief resident doctor of the reconstructive national surgery and burns center in Korle-Bu, who was not part of the project.
“We are already late in terms of the number of doctors available to deal with a number of populations,” he said.
“If someone is in a distant part of the city where he does not have access to these specialized services, but needs, the referring doctor could really use this telemedicine thing to access the best care.”