NEW DELHI: In an effort to provide emergency medical treatment to security forces deployed in remote areas like Siachen Glacier, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has recently signed an agreement with the defence ministry for setting up telemedicine nodes. The space agency will establish 53 more nodes in the first phase to existing 20 set up for the Army, Navy and Air Force across the country.Explaining the significance of these nodes, Isro chairman K Sivan told TOI, “In remote areas like Siachen Glacier, there is no permanent hospital or medical centres for security personnel. Through our satellite-based telemedicine programme, we can provide medical services to soldiers deployed in these farflung areas. We set up small telemedicine hubs in these areas and link them to big hospitals in cities through our Gsatseries communication satellites. Specialist doctors in these hospitals interact with ailing or injured soldiers and prescribe them medicines. The prescribed medicines are then provided to ailing soldiers from the medicine stock stored in that place.”A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for telemedicine nodes was signed on Friday between development and education communication unit (DECU) of Isro, Ahmedabad, and Integrated Defence Staff (Medical), defence ministry, in Delhi.The highest battleground in the world, Siachen remains cut off during winter due to extreme climatic conditions and difficult terrain. Soldiers have to brave freezing temperatures, which drop to 60 degrees Celsius. Besides the enemy, jawans have to face challenges like avalanches and landslides at such icy heights. The only mode of evacuation from these posts during medical emergency is by helicopters, and this also may not be feasible for days at times. In such a difficult condition, communication through the satellite-enabled telemedicine nodes is a boon for soldiers.Sivan said, “Isro is setting up these nodes not only for security forces deployed in remote areas, but also for rural people who can’t come to cities to avail of medical services during medical emergency. Specialist doctors from big hospitals like AIIMS, who can’t visit these areas on a short notice, provide medical services to the needy through our programme.”Isro, which initiated the telemedicine programme in 2001, has now spread its telemedicine network to regions like Ladakh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, northeastern states and tribal districts of states like Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh Jharkhand , Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra , Punjab and Rajasthan.

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