Health security

Building a multinational telemedicine system

The NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme project “A Multinational Telemedicine System for Emergency Situations” was a key topic of a round-table discussion at the Ukrainian Parliament in Kyiv on 27 May 2016, that was broadcast live on Ukrainian national TV. The high-level event was hosted by Dr Olga Bogomolets, Chairman of the Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament on Healthcare, and Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Humanitarian Issues.

In Ukraine, the average time for an ambulance to reach the wounded is 40 minutes, making it the third highest cause of death. Police officers, on the other hand, reach the emergency scene within 5 to 10 minutes. “If police officers would possess telemedicine equipment and were trained to give life support to wounded people, many lives could be saved through telemedicine,”explained Dr Bogomolets.

Dr Raed Arafat, Secretary of State in the Department of Emergency Situations of the Romanian Ministry of Interior and Director of the SPS telemedicine project, supports this view. “A multinational telemedicine system can save lives in case of disaster and conflict, based on practical experience,” he emphasised.