THE Eastern Cape Health Department is planning to establish 29 telemedicine sites by March next year in an effort to improve the quality of health services rendered to people in the province.

Telemedicine refers to health institutions that have high-tech equipment that allows a link up with specialist doctors from a different venue or country who would then give instructions to those at the centre on what procedures to perform on a patient.

Provincial Telehealth co-ordinator Dr ER Rajeev of Cecilia Makiwane in Mdantsane said the telemedicine system aimed to deliver quality health care services irrespective of the distance between doctors and people especially those in rural areas.

"Over the past five years, Eastern Cape has become known as a telemedicine and e-Health leader in South Africa because the province was one of the first to pilot telehealth. We currently have 12 telemedicine sites in the province," he said.

Provincial Health MEC, Bevan Goqwana, believes that the introduction of telemedicine has been one of major innovations of the department.

The MEC added that by using information and communication technology, the department had been able to provide specialist support to the rural centres.

"Patients do not have to travel long distances to consult a specialist, but can go to the nearest clinic or district hospital to get the treatment, having been attended by a specialist far away from where the patient is", he said.

Goqwana said that telemedicine would also be used to give support and educate health professionals working in rural hospitals or clinics.

"The department has strengthened the resource centres, which will facilitate administrative meetings between the head office and the clusters through video conferencing," he added.

There are currently four tele-radiology sites in the province located at St Barnabas, SS Gida, Humansdorp and Knessie Knight Hospitals.

Umtata Hospital and Butterworth will commence the telehealth system at the end of December 2004 and an amount of R6.6 million has been set aside to expand the programme.

Meanwhile in the Emergency Medical Services, the MEC said the service had been "provincialised" to create a uniform operation.

A total of R65 million has been set aside to improve Eastern Cape Emergency Services.