“Tele-Medicine Applications” take part in working groups of (TSBS) Health Information System, Turkey. HU. Faculty of Medicine, Histology & Embryology Lecturer, Assistant Proffessor Dr. Sinan Yürüker and HU. Faculty of Medicine, Medical Education and Informatics Member Dr. Murat Sincan, mentioned that with their Tele-Medicine application named “HacetTELE” they aim to present a qualified and diffused healthcare service; besides the information infrastructure will be standardized.

           -What was your basic goal with the project to be a Tele-Medicine application? As known in common, the healhcare services given in provinces are not well qualified as the metropolitan regions. As the physicians cannot study in the similar environments with their colleagues, both from point of equipment and information they live unsufficient conditions. For this reason the patients living at those areas have to be transferred to bigger cities which causes several problems. First of all, is the lack of services and quality due to the increase in the number of the patients transferred to the metropolitan hospitals and extended awaiting patient rows forcing the staff to give healthcare services exceeding their capacity. From this point of view, TELE-MEDICINE has a structure of reducing the problems and we tried to determine our goals on solving these basic problems.

           -May we assume “TELE-MEDICINE Applications” as a kind of Tele-Conference? Or do they include a more genuine structure?

           From our pont of view, TELE-MEDICINE Application is not just a connection of two sided vision. It is a must to provide the connection of two centers communicating and visualising each other but our project has a vision far beyond of that. But in order to function in full capacity the project needs to overwhelm important difficulties. For example the infrastructure of (SBA) Health Informatics is not well developed in Turkey. I by myself define the disease in my way and another physician defines in another way; there has to be a common way for it, especially a global standard. This standard is being initiated in well developed countries and we are following the progress.

           By these, HacetTELE project will provide physicians to access the latest development and information with using the global standards in itself. It has a major advantage from point of Turkey. We will have the opportunity to standardize the information infrastructure of the healthcare field by TELE-MEDICINE.

          We have been working on HacetTELE project for three years after the first discussion of it. Last year we formed the project and presented to DPT (State Planning Organization) and DPT accepted our project. This project will be a sample by being the first, the project will not initially include all of the branches, the priority will be given to cerebral-surgery field.The basic priority of the project was to determine the “which” information that was necessary, by using the TELE-MEDICINE technology, for the physician at the center to diagnose and help to the physician at the far end. We are preparing this, collaborating with the physicians on both sides.

           -What is the last state in the Project? When will it be coming into life?

           I have mentioned that the project was approved by DPT last year. The appropriations for the projects are paid partially and not given in full amount. We will obtain our first appropriation on June but we started our studies without waiting for June. There are no countries in the world that has put this kind of project totally into life yet, and the studies are continuing out of our country also. If we have to buy such a project from another country rather than bringing to life, we will have to pay a fortune for it. Besides leading the language problems we will face a lot of troubles. We are working on a project concordant to our country that means it is designed for us and our system.

           One of the major importance is the Health Information Network standard which has been determined in world as HL7, Snomed and similar standards. We are preparing our project within the accepted standards so that the latent product will be concordant with the globe. In spite of buying we will improve our technology to show that these can be made in Turkey also. We are trying to determine the needs of a scientific branch to diagnose from center to a far end location and prove the systems work. It is a fact that we will live certain technical and legal matters and we are forming the infrastructure due to these possibilities. This technology, is the one to smooth the disorders in health sector in Turkey if used properly.

            The system in Turkey is not as abroad. In Europe and America you have all the control and the project support is given with the entire financial possibilities. But in Turkey you achieve the finance by instalments and this becomes a reason of the slow proceeding. We assume to finalize the project within two years time but if our financial conditions improve we may be able to do it sooner.

           It should be recognized that if we buy the technology of other countries instead of producing it we would be supporting their technological investments in a way. We have to improve our own technology and we have the ability to do this, we posses everything necessary. We have the vision, we know how and we own people for the study. If this project is supported we will be able to put it into life.

           Our project may seem to be a front part one rather than the other necessities of the country and what is more some people may assume it unnecessary but it should be noticed that we have to follow the world and it is clear that TELE-MEDICINE will be a standard application in Europe and America in near future. What shall we do when they pass to this system? We will have to buy it from them. It will be a major fault to buy and try to integrate it to our system instead of improving it here. We believe that this project will behalf the economy as well.