In 2006, telemedicine in Brazil began to take shape through an initiative of the Ministry of Health (MS), supported by the Parintins Telemedicine Center and the State University of Amazonas (UEA).
In Amazonas, the Telesalud Amazonas project (Telessaúde AM) and the Telesalud Amazonas Center were born 15 years ago, as a project for the universalization of health in the state. The center was equipped with telecommunications equipment, which has evolved in recent years. There are currently 68 Telehealth points installed in Amazonas, of which 63 correspond to urban areas and five to indigenous communities.
The coordinator of Telessaude AM, Cleinaldo de Almeida Costa, highlighted the importance of the UEA's role in promoting telehealth in the state: "I want to express my happiness for working together with all the people involved in this project and supporting them in the communities more remote and also in those of conservation. Above all, this is the role of UEA Telesalud, which is present in 61 municipalities of the Amazon in the interior and in the capital. Today we can glimpse the achievements and fruits of this project that is so important for the state”.
The objective of the program is to serve remote regions of the state and reach the most vulnerable population in communities and protected areas of the Amazon. In 2020, the cardiology telediagnosis service served 61 municipalities and recorded a total of 38,000 electrocardiogram (ECG) reports.
During the pandemic, the demand for telemedicine services increased in the region, and from March 2020 to September 2021, Telessaúde AM provided 39,079 remote medical examinations.
On the other hand, Telessaúde AM also has continuing education services, consisting of tele-education programs on primary health care. More than 8 thousand professionals have benefited from this strategy.
