Tests, possible care centers, visa procedures, recovery prospects... A few years ago, getting information on these details for a health trip to Cuba could be a lengthy process with some uncertainties. Now, thanks to tele-counseling, tele-diagnosis and tele-consultation services, the experience has changed dramatically.
Largely driven by COVID-19 restrictions, this option offered by Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos, S.A. (CSMC, S.A.) is gaining ground every year. This is what Dr. Osvaldo Héctor Ardisana, a physician by training and one of the specialists of the Coordination and Processing Center, says.
The major advantage is that these remote services are not limited by geographical or language barriers: those interested receive immediate information on the options available for their needs. It is a service focused on patients, but also on facilitating communication channels.
Regarding this mechanism, Ardisana says that the CSMC, S.A.'s Coordination and Processing Center provides patients and mediators with all the necessary information to offer a personalized service.
Thanks to virtual tools, this institution can quickly guide potential patients on which Cuban centers specialize in certain conditions, which ones offer certain services, what tests they might need, how long the recovery time is...
Regarding the telediagnosis and teleconsultation modalities, Ardisana explains that “one of the variants can be that a person can send the results or images of the studies he/she has undergone and the specialist analyzes them and issues a diagnosis”. In addition, cases can also be followed up, both their own and those that have already received treatment in other healthcare systems.
Given the demand, the possibilities of tele-consulting, tele-diagnosis and telemedicine are constantly evolving. The Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos, S.A. has very concrete plans to promote them even more. The projection is to expand them to more sites throughout the country, bringing them closer to a larger number of specialists, by updating the technological platform.
Thanks to virtual tools, potential patients can quickly be guided on which Cuban centers specialize in specific conditions.
Confidentiality and privacy are two of the bastions of this service, anchored to proprietary platforms and with high security standards. Work is now underway to automate it and implement, among other new features, an online calendar for booking appointments, greater power and improvements in the usability of the different platforms.
Dr. Osvaldo Héctor Ardisana insists that humanistic ethics and professionalism are two characteristic values of Cuban medicine. In view of the growing technological possibilities, he sees tele-counseling as a means of extending these virtues, so that patients may have more expeditious access to quality treatment.
By Ernesto Guerra
Photos: Leonid Prado
Taken from Destino Salud Magazine