VOA标准英语2010年-Telemedicine Transforming Rural India

Eye doctors in India are now able to treat patients in remote villages thanks to a new wi-fi video conferencing network.

In this eye clinic in Andipatti village in Tamil Nadu state, patients are seeing things a little differently.

Patient Rajamanickam complains about an eye injury.

And 15 kilometers away, an ophthalmologist at the Aravind Eye Hospital in the city of Theni diagnoses and treats him.  Both are connected through an inexpensive wi-fi video conferencing network.

It is called "telemedicine" and it is increasing access to care in a country that is home to the world's largest number of blind people.

 Eight vision centers have opened over the past six years in Theni district. 

The centers are run by an ophthalmic assistant who is trained to conduct a full eye examination, administer diagnostic tests, treat simple ailments¹ and prescribe glasses. 

A doctor at centers as far as 150 kilometers away gives the final word to villagers.

"It is a useful instrument for the villagers. We can actually talk to the doctor directly from here," said Rajamanickam.

Rajamanickam normally would spend a full day traveling to the Aravind Eye Hospital. Instead, he traveled only three kilometers by local bus to this vision center in his village.

His exam cost about 50 cents, half what it would cost at the hospital. He saved $2 on transportation which he says he can now use for medicines.

The assistant also found a cataract² in Rajamanickam's eye, which will require surgery at the hospital. Doctors say this early detection has prevented Rajamanickam from becoming blind.

Under the World Health Organization (WHO) 2020 initiative, India has pledged to eliminate avoidable blindness in 10 years.

The WHO reports that about a third of the world's 45 million blind people live in India. And the majority of causes such as cataracts³ and diabetes⁴ are treatable.

Aravind Eye Hospital has conducted mobile eye camps in villages across Tamil Nadu over the past two decades. Eye doctors have administered daylong screenings to roughly 750 patients each year. 

Now, with the vision centers in place, doctors are treating an average of 5,000 patients per center per year. 

Each center is connected to the main hospital by video towers, designed with the help of students at the University of California Berkeley in the United States. The towers cost $2,200 to set up, but very little to operate.

Dr. P. Namperumalsamy is chairman of Aravind Eye Hospital. He says the scarcity⁵ of doctors in India mades video treatment essential. 

"You may say that you're not touching⁶ the patient, you're not talking to the patient, but it's all the more better.  If left alone, what they do is will put native medicines or some unwanted medicines and spoil their eyes. This is better than that, and we can advise them the proper medicine for treatment," said Dr. Namperumalsamy.

The Indian government plans to set up 20,000 more rural vision centers in the coming years.
 

1 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

2 cataract   

n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白内障

参考例句：

• He is an elderly gentleman who had had a cataract operation.他是一位曾经动过白内障手术的老人。
• The way is blocked by the tall cataract.高悬的大瀑布挡住了去路。

3 cataracts   

n.大瀑布( cataract的名词复数 )；白内障

参考例句：

• The rotor cataracts water over the top of the machines. 回转轮将水从机器顶上注入。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Cataracts of rain flooded the streets. 倾盆大雨弄得街道淹水。 来自辞典例句

4 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

5 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

6 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。