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October 2009
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Professor Zulaika Ali became a Consultant Neonatologist at the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital in 1981 and soon got involved in arranging for corrective cardiac and other surgeries for affected newborn babies at overseas centres. She saw the need for a costeffective programme to diagnose, treat and manage complex problems in patients whose parents could not afford such medical care which was not available locally. Thus, the UWI Telehealth Programme was born. The UWI Telehealth Programme is a partnership between the Child Health Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences, UWI, the Ministry of Health, Hospital for SickKids (SK H), Toronto Canada and Atlantic LNG of Trinidad & Tobago, Atlantic for Children Fund. It was meant to enable patients to access medical treatment not available locally, to strengthen undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing medical education programmes and to support relevant collaborative research. Patients are referred to the Telehealth Programme from government clinics, hospitals private practitioners, media, friends and family who have benefited from this service. The Programme’s paediatrician assesses the need for foreign consultation and if needed, the referral is then forwarded to SKH for a clinical appointment.
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