Brazilian Doctor Crafts System Hailed As ‘Way Forward’ for Combating Zika
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
In Brazil, one of the biggest challenges to dealing with the Zika crisis is logistics.
The South American country has bad infrastructure, unequal access to health care — and it’s huge. It’s difficult for a mom with a microcephalic baby who lives in the countryside, hours away from specialists, to get the help she needs.
But one doctor has developed a system that could revolutionize medicine in Brazil — and has already helped tens of thousands of babies.
Dr. Sandra Mattos, a pediatric cardiologist, checks in with her tiny patients from her laptop. Her screen is split, showing various hospital rooms around Brazil’s northern Paraiba state. Mattos is practicing telemedicine, which allows doctors like her to diagnose and treat patients at a distance. The rational is pretty straightforward — it gives people in remote communities access to specialist care.
Source: NPR (link opens in a new window)
- Categories
- Health Care
