State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak has said, the government has taken up an initiative to introduce telemedicine service at 16,000 community hospitals across the country and bring 2000 hospitals under the purview of digital service.
He further added that by 2025, the country’s medical sector will be completely technology-dependent.
The health sector of the country will be digitised fully and every hospital of the country will be operated centrally using technology. The medicine and diagnosis records will be brought under an interoperable system through centralised health management software, he said while speaking at a virtual seminar on “Digitalisation of health sector amid Covid-19 pandemic” on Wednesday.
Over 60 lakh people have received telemedicine services in the last 16 months through health service hotline 333 while 98 lakh people have completed their registration to take the Covid-19 vaccine through the “Surokkha” app, the state minister added.
E-Generation Executive Director SM Ashraful Islam presented a keynote address at the seminar.
Shamim Ahsan, Chairman, E-Generation Group, emphasized on the importance of using AI to select experienced doctors for patients in the country and launching chatbots for direct communication with doctors.
Professor Dr. Md. Sharfuddin Ahmed, Vice-chancellor, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU); Professor Sayedur Rahman, Chairman, Pharmacology Department, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical (BSMMU); Prof Dr. ABM Muksudul Alam, Principal, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College (ShSMC); Professor Ismail Khan, Vice-chancellor, Chattogram Medical University; Brig. Gen. Brayan Bangkim Halder, Director, Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital; Prof. Dr. Mijanur Rahman, Director, MIS, DGHS; Dr. A S M Alamgir, Principal Scientific Officer (PSO), IEDCR; Dr. Md. Toufiq Hassan Shawon, Medical officer, DGHS; Mr. Nazmul Haque Khan, Additional Secretary, Hospital Wing, Health Ministry; Dr. Md Forhad Rabbi, Associate Professor, Computer Science and Engineering Department, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology were also present at the webinar among others.