Poverty and distance are the enemies of health. In the rich world, high-quality medical care is usually a short drive away, because there are three physicians available, on average, to serve every 1,000 people. In South Africa, however, there are 0.8 doctors per 1,000, even though it is one of Africa’s most prosperous countries. In one of the region’s poorest countries that is not racked by war, Tanzania, the average is only 0.3 per 1,000.
Not even rich-world citizens are immune from the curse of distance. Whether in rural counties or remote mines and wellheads, people can find themselves far from help when help is needed most. That is why health systems around the world turn to satellite to extend the reach of medicine and defeat threats to public health before they become catastrophes.
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Have Mercy
In the early 1980s, a ship called the Anastasis set sail from the United States for the coast of Africa. It was a hospital ship, staffed by volunteer doctors, nurses and medical technicians, who donated their services wherever the ship touched land. Over time, the three vessels of the charity, Mercy Ships, have conducted thousands of life-saving, often life-changing surgeries and medical procedures. Satellite has played a supporting role in nearly every one. “For surgeries in particular, there are two key areas – lab and radiology – that depend on a connection with satellite,” Mercy Ships’ programs design director Michelle Bullington told Via Satellite magazine.
Telemedicine at the Extremes
This remote delivery of care, consultation and training is called telemedicine – and it is having a huge and growing impact on people’s lives. Thirteen thousand feet above sea level in the Himalayan Mountains, Apollo Hospitals has brought telemedicine to the top of the world, in a government-assisted project called Himachal Pradesh Telehealth Services.
Ships at sea, oil platforms and remote mining sites face isolation almost as extreme. VSee, a private company, provides telemedicine support for two Shell oil platforms off the Nigerian coast, which allows the single medic on duty to bring aboard the expertise of multiple physicians.
Fighting Disease Outbreaks
When Ebola broke out in West Africa, NetHope, a consortium of humanitarian organizations, coordinated a strong response from satellite companies. The nonprofit deployed hundreds of satellite terminals from Thuraya, Inmarsat and Eutelsat to Ghana, Liberia and Guinea, and SES brought its SatMed platform to Sierra Leone.
A different satellite technology holds out hope for stopping epidemics before they begin. A consortium of Belgian companies, supported by the European Space Agency, has developed a software and services package called Vecmap. It improves how field researchers gather data and how public health authorities use it.
Health is the greatest gift. Wherever poverty or distance denies that gift to the world’s people, satellite brings a healing hand and hope for a better life. VS
