Polycom actively participates in 1st Southern African Telemedicine Conference set to address African Healthcare Issues
Cape Town, South Africa; 16 September 2010 – The South African Medical Research Council (SA MRC) will be hosting the 1st Southern African Telemedicine Conference which will bring together researchers, professionals, academics, health practitioners and health analysts working in the discipline of telemedicine.
Says Andrew Graley, Healthcare Director, EMEA, Polycom; “As a global leader in unified communications and telepresence solutions, Polycom is proud to be part of this all important conference and feel that our participation not only enables us to share our immense knowledge and expertise, but allows us to actively participate in addressing the most topical and pressing IT issues to improve African healthcare development.”
With the constant pressure to increase the quality of patient care and the desire to provide new services, while at the same time controlling costs, healthcare providers need to leverage the power of video networks to link patients, specialists, and clinicians, thus further extending the reach of healthcare. The concept of telemedicine systems brings medical expertise to patients and providers regardless of location. Live digital video and high-speed network connections enable physicians to evaluate and diagnose illnesses in real-time, without the need for either the patient or physician to travel. Furthermore, medical professionals also have the convenience of being able to obtain continuing medical education (CME), access certification programmes, and train through video conferencing.
“Demand for telehealth programmes is set to explode because it addresses one of the fundamental challenges facing the healthcare industry today - not enough doctors and the fact that they are unevenly distributed,” continues Graley. “What's more, is that the use of telemedicine increases revenues for healthcare facilities by allowing hospitals to tap the expertise of individuals across the country or the globe.”
Taking place at the MRC Conference Centre in Cape Town, the Telemedicine Conference allows these experts the opportunity to not only discuss the promise of telemedicine in the hope to bridge the distances in the delivery of healthcare, but also to express the industry's desire to bridge the gaps between Telemedicine role players in Southern Africa.
“The health sector continues to change and this conference will bring together pertinent market players to discuss and define how unified communication and telepresence can be used to combat the challenges and define the future of industry - making such a conference certainly a positive step forward for healthcare locally,” concludes Graley.
About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) is a global leader in unified communications solutions with industry-leading telepresence, video, voice and infrastructure solutions built on open standards. Polycom powers smarter conversations, transforming lives and businesses worldwide. Please visit www.polycom.com for more information or connect with Polycom on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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