mHealth: the developing world really needs it – a Telecare Aware special report

Since retiring, Victor Patterson, a consultant neurologist from Belfast, Northern Ireland, has been active in setting up an mHealth service in Nepal for people with epilepsy. In a special report for Telecare Aware he sets out why such services are so vital.

If you think telehealth/telemedicine is too easy in the UK and you’d like a real challenge, my advice is to try Nepal.

Its population is about 28 million people (only a few of whom are Gurkhas). About 80% of people live outside the capital, Kathmandu, where surprise, surprise, about 90% of the country’s doctors live.

Working in Nepal is difficult for a number of reasons: there is still a touch of political instability and there are electricity outages for 8 hours most days, but there are two more important reasons…

Road in Nepal

Nepali road – only 2 hours to go!