Five penitentiary centers in Peru will join the National Telehealth Network (RNT) to connect with hospitals and specialized health professionals, as appropriate, officials announced in a virtual conference.
Miguel Castro Según, Lurigancho, Callao, La Oroya and Huancayo prisons will be part of the RNT of the Peruvian Ministry of Health (Minsa), so they will be able to connect with more specialized hospitals and with greater diagnostic capacity.
The application of telemedicine services aims to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of the population of the aforementioned prisons. Faced with the pandemic, health services have presented limitations to provide comprehensive health services in prisons, which is why the National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) has opted for telemedicine.
Before being announced as part of the RNT, the penitentiary centers underwent a technical evaluation by Digitel of the Minsa. This evaluation considered that the technical and connectivity aspects of the centers were suitable to receive and provide telemedicine services.
The Minister of Justice, Eduardo Vega Luna, explained that the objective is for the health facilities of the 69 prisons in the country to be able to incorporate telemedicine services and become part of the RNT.
To test the connectivity and efficiency of the service, the virtual presentation of this advance, Susana Silva, president of the INPE, made remote contact with a pulmonologist from the San Juan de Lurigancho Hospital for a tele-consultation.
On the other hand, another 76 new facilities were added to the RTN, which includes health facilities belonging to the Army and the Minsa in the regions of Arequipa, Ancash, Ayacucho, Puno, Lima, Junin, Cusco, Tumbes, Callao, Cajamarca, Moquegua, Tacna, Loreto and Piura.