The Guatemalan government will promote telemedicine in rural areas of the department of San Marcos to avoid patient transfers.
The San Marcos Health Area Directorate and the Regional Hospital announced the implementation of the Telemedicine Standard Operating Procedure, which aims to coordinate telemedicine and telehealth actions in the region. Likewise, it is aligned with the National Digital Health Strategy in Guatemala 2022-2032.
The Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance has implemented this initiative through the Digital Health Unit of the General Directorate of the Comprehensive Health Care System (SIAS), and thanks to the technical and financial support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). .
The project consists of the Internet connection between permanent care centers in Comitancillo and Concepción Tutuapa, with the Tejutla Maternal and Child Care Center, which is interconnected with the San Marcos Regional Hospital. In this sense, through telemedicine modules directed by health personnel, rural populations will be able to access teleconsultations with specialists from their locality and without the need to travel long distances to the capital of San Marcos.
“Telemedicine is a resource that we have at hand and that allows us to save lives. In the short term, it will become more efficient and effective, so that the population can have universal access to health”, explained Dr. Ángel Longo, director of the San Marcos Hospital.
Likewise, the director of the San Marcos Health Area, Juan Pablo Velásquez, explained that telemedicine is a modality that, thanks to technology, can reduce maternal mortality and malnutrition rates, and also strengthen health levels at various levels. . "We are all really committed to benefiting our users by guaranteeing the right to health," he commented.
