Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The National Chamber of Innovative Healthcare of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the participation of the Minister of Labor and Employment of India, Ambassador of India to Canada on 8 September this year held a scientific and practical video conference dedicated to the development of digital medicine.

The medical achievements of modern India are widely known and recognized throughout the world. At the same time, the conditions of the pandemic, more than ever before, raised the question of the development of digital opportunities in a wide variety of areas. Medicine among them occupies a special place, since its digitalization is not only video consultations with the best professionals, but also the way to this professionalism through online advanced training of medical specialists.

In this regard, an important part of the Uzbek-Indian videoconference was the discussion of the possibilities of the CyberPatient, an innovative platform for online simulation of communication with patients.

The National Chamber has established close collaboration with the CyberPatient development team from Canada led by Professor Karim Qayumi, Regional Director of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

In his welcoming speech to the participants of the online forum, the Chairman of the National Chamber Rovshan Izamov noted that back in mid-April this year, the medical community of Uzbekistan was widely informed by the National Chamber that the CyberPatient online simulator was open by Canadian developers for free access at the time of the pandemic at: http : //www.cyberpatient.ca/.

Moreover, the divisions of the National Chamber in each region of Uzbekistan hold meetings with health professionals, as well as future doctors in order to familiarize them with the capabilities of CyberPatient and other digital platforms.

Shri Santosh Gangwar, Minister of Labor and Employment of India, expressed gratitude to the National Chamber for the opportunity for this discussion and for facilitating the introduction of the Canadian digital platform. He noted that this is a new and important addition to the existing medical education in the country.

“This online tool allows students to access disease-specific information in its entirety. The model fills a gap in medical education by allowing the student to follow the patient from initial admission to discharge. Cases are available with increasing difficulty so that students can go back to the cases they considered earlier in their studies and explore the more complex aspects of diagnosing and treating this particular disease. Cyber Patient is designed to simulate physician-patient interactions as accurately as possible,” said the Indian Minister.

According to Santosh Gangwar, with the high efficiency of using this platform, the Ministry of Labor may also initiate the official introduction of this online simulator into the training program for health care professionals, since India always strives to use all the most advanced and effective in medical education.

Taking into account the Canadian authorship of the platform development, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Canada Ajay Bisaria noted during the forum that discoveries in the technological space today in many ways bring not only these two countries, but the whole world closer together. At the same time, the pandemic has largely become an impetus for the development of digital technologies and their practical application. “During the pandemic, people have learned to live, work, shop, study, etc. remotely or keeping a distance, thanks to the created newest technologies, ”the Ambassador said, emphasizing the importance of digital methods in improving medical competencies and international cooperation in this direction.

The director of the University College of Medical Sciences, Dr. Sunil Gomber, also expressed his opinion on the possibilities of cooperation between India and Uzbekistan, including with the participation of third countries, in terms of exchange of experience and ideas for the development of digital medicine. Sunil Gomber, President of the Indian Society of Medical Accupuncture Dr. Raman Kapur, Chairman of the PSRI Heart Institute, Tarlochan Singh Kler and others.

During the online forum, Professor Karim Kayumi also noted that it was decided to extend free access to CyberPatient until the end of this year, which was highly appreciated by the Uzbek and Indian parties.

The plans of the CyberPatient developers are to supply the simulator, which now works in English, with subtitles in other international languages, in particular in Russian. This will further expand the ability of medical students, as well as active doctors in many countries, including Uzbekistan, to use this innovative platform. The online simulator allows doctors to hone theoretical knowledge, improve the accuracy of clinical decision-making, and this always leads to an increase in the level of care and safety for patients.

We add that passing refresher courses, including international ones, also gives the opportunity to gain additional points, which is relevant for the credit-modular system provided for in the licensing of doctors, which is gradually being introduced in the health care of Uzbekistan.

During the videoconference, the National Chamber and its new Indian partners also discussed the possibilities of implementing new joint projects.