On February 27^th, OJSC North-West Telecom presented the Telemedicine project at the 9^th international Norwecom-2002 exhibition dedicated to communication systems and telecommunications.

Sessions of video conference communication with the I. I. Djanelidze Emergency Aid Institute and the St. Petersburg Telecommunication Center were arranged at the Company’s stand. For one hour, from 11:00 till 12:00, doctors consulted exhibition guests in the on-line format. The conference was attended by Professor S. F. Bagnenko, Director of the Emergency Aid Institute, Professor O. D. Dmitrienko, and Y. P. Mazhara, a leading cardiologist of the Institute.

Addressing guests and participants of Norwecom, E. R. Usseinov, Head of the Telemedicine Working Group (Health Committee, Administration of St. Petersburg) told them that a dedicated program named “Telemedicine Network in St. Petersburg for 2001 – 2005” approved by the City Legislature functions in St. Petersburg. The core social purpose of telemedicine is to ensure general availability and high uniform quality standards of service at any medical institution. With this new service, doctors and patients of a district hospital may get a remote consultation from the best specialist in any given field of medicine. Among possible applications of telemedicine are also assistance to people living or temporarily staying in hardly accessible localities, and help in focal areas of mass epidemics or disasters.

Setting up an urban telemedicine network is a complex and multi-stage process. The working team comprises representatives of leading medical institutions (clinics and research institutes) and telecommunication and IT organizations, such as the Bonch-Bruyevich Telecommunications University, St. Petersburg Center of Telecommunications, and Institute of Informatics and Automation of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Today, the North-West Telecom has set up a pilot telemedicine network area based on digital communication technologies (ISDN (ATM/FR,) and IP). This pilot area will allow to test the equipment and adjust the technologies in six months prior to large-scale deployment of the network.

From 1 p.m. till 2 p.m. tomorrow, February 28^th, the presentation of the Russian Foundation for the History of Communications will be held at the Company’s stand. From February 26^th till March 2^nd daily, the IP Telephony service will be presented, and lottery prizes drawn among the buyers of Telephone Service Cards (TSC).