New Delhi: Cisco today announced that it will continue to deepen and widen its focus on driving healthcare initiatives in India, especially in the area of remote and virtual healthcare. The announcement was made today at ‘Innovations in Connected Health in India’, Cisco’s first industry event for healthcare in India, held at New Delhi.

At the event, Cisco showcased demos of its Care-at-a-Distance solutions including Cisco HealthPresenceTM and also hosted panel discussions on topics such as ‘Collaborating for Better Health’ and ‘Ecosystem for Driving Innovations in Connected Health in India’. Apart from key Cisco executives, eminent speakers from the government, academia, industry and technology companies also participated in this event.

Cisco’s Care-at-a-Distance solution enables remote examination and consultation. Cisco’s Connected Health solutions help improve patient education, wellness management, post-discharge follow up, and doctor-to-specialist collaboration.

Cisco has been working closely with both the central and state governments and various private bodies to implement remote healthcare initiatives in rural India. Cisco’s technology along with its ecosystem network gives an impetus to India’s efforts for providing quality and affordable healthcare wherever required, be it at a mall or airport in a city, inside an enterprise, a remote village in the farthest corner of the country or on a naval ship.

In May 2010, Apollo Hospitals and Cisco announced an alliance to help transform healthcare through information and communications technology (ICT). The joint initiative hopes to drive inclusive growth and well-being by accelerating access to affordable and high-quality healthcare via the Cisco HealthPresence™ solution. In early 2010, Cisco signed an MoU with the Central government to provide education and healthcare solutions and promote social inclusion through the government’s Common Service Centers (CSCs) all across India. Presently, Cisco through its Cisco HealthPresence technology is enabling the delivery of remote specialist healthcare services in various flood affected areas of Raichur district in Karnataka.