Proposed National Institute of Telemedicine: PGI governing body gives nod to non-faculty positions

Chandigarh, October 19

The governing body of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has given its nod to the creation of various categories of non-faculty posts for the proposed National Institute of Telemedicine (NIT) in the city.

The governing body agreed to the proposal of creation of one post each of senior technician (telemedicine) and computer programmer, two of junior technician (telemedicine) on a regular basis subject to the approval of Department of Expenditure, and two of data entry operator grade to be engaged on an outsource basis.

Traditionally, telemedicine has focused on tele-consultation, wherein experts provide medical advice remotely to patients in distant locations. However, with the proposed NIT, the Department of Telemedicine envisions a comprehensive approach to healthcare, medical education and research in the realm of telemedicine and digital health technology.

The senior technician (telemedicine) will report on the function and progress of the service. This position requires a deep understanding of telemedicine services as well as strong working relationships with doctors, physicians and personnel management skills. The senior technician will perform device checks with on-call physicians to ensure seamless communication and access to remote clients.

Similarly, the junior technician (telemedicine) will work with electronic and electro-medical equipment integrated with communication technology. Acting as a primary contact for scheduling telemedicine consultations, the technician will serve as a liaison between referring physicians, specialty physicians and the staff. Additionally, they will be responsible for setting up appointments with patients, install or remove telemedicine units as needed. Promptly reporting significant changes in patients’ conditions to the office will be among their key duties.

Further, the post of content developer-cum-programmer has also been proposed to record crucial patient data, including illness details, disease type, treatment methods and outcomes. This comprehensive record-keeping will enable long-term analysis of patient outcomes and inform future research endeavours.