A Better Path for the Health of Nations :
Ideas from Global Government Health Leaders
by Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group
Health leaders across the globe have inspiring
visions and great aspirations for the health and care of their citizens. When the Cisco
Internet Business Solutions Group asked more than 100 health leaders from 16 nations for
their perspectives, responses were both thought-provoking and uplifting.
These leaders envision a world
where health professionals can easily connect, collaborate, and communicate to provide more
effective, efficient health services for all. They dream of the day when equal access to
the best quality care and medical expertise is an everyday experience.
Imagine the possibilities
when healthcare is connected from the tiniest village to the largest metropolis, when the
advice and expertise of the most qualified providers can be available anytime, anywhere.
Imagine for a moment national centers of clinical excellence where the best and most
experienced specialists provide consultation, clinical services, and patient-care management
in partnership with local providers. Collaboration across distances is possible with information
and communications technologies. Patients and families can stay in their local communities,
in the comfort of their own homes, confident that their health is in the hands of an exceptionally
skilled team.
For another moment, imagine community health workers providing basic in-person
health coaching and medical care in underserved communities. When the need arises, local health
workers are virtually surrounded and supported by more highly trained clinicians. Regardless
of time or location, clinical collaborators are available through voice call, video call,
or on-line chat. Even the most remote resident will have access to world-class health services
without ever leaving home.
Reflect for a moment on the very human needs for health services
when natural disasters or disease pandemics occur. Imagine how lives can be touched and
saved when leaders plan for a sudden surge in health services demand. With special training
for health professionals, and investments in communication technologies, a rapid, coordinated,
response is possible. In the worst of all times, comfort and aid can be given to those
most in need.
These ideas may live only in the vision of global health leadersÑbut the
technologies needed to achieve the dream exist today. Together, we can create the future
by taking the first steps forward. For the health of nations, the road not yet taken
is a promising path, indeed.
http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac79/GHL-Survey/
