Remote Healthcare Service Provision

The cross-border area is a rather rural area, including remote villages with difficult access to large urban centres where health-care units exist. As a result, the rural population does not receive primary healthcare services. The proposed project aims at solving this problem by providing healthcare services to the targeted population on a regular basis with an emphasis on prevention and early diagnosis. 

In particular, the project will develop two mobile health care units (one for each country) staffed with a multidisciplinary team (a general doctor, a nurse and a social worker) that will visit the population regularly. Each region will identify the framework of the provided services, the ICT services that will be developed and the patients' data that should be recorded. This includes identifying the requirements of each region regarding the healthcare service provision of rural areas and the development of the operation plan and a business plan for the mobile units' operation. Additionally, a digital system for the recording and monitoring of the patients’ health status will be developed. All patients will have a personal electronic health file. Patients’ medical history, exams and the medical treatments they received from the mobile unit will be recorded. The electronic health file will be accessible to the hospitals in case the patient needs to be transferred there.

The project has a major social added value as it provides primary health-care services to the rural population with difficult access to health-care institutions. The provision of primary health-care services leads to early diagnosis of diseases and their effective treatment. This results in the improvement of citizens’ health, in fewer hospital admissions and consequently in reduced costs for the healthcare sector.