Telerad Foundation set up a pilot project for remote CT reporting at the Gulbarga District Hospital in 2009. Patients were compelled to get their CT scans read from local consultants for a fee, posing a significant financial burden upon the predominantly underprivileged patient population and frequently resulting in significant delays due to the shortage of qualified and certified radiologists in the area.
With high-speed Internet connectivity a major challenge, we did not receive many cases in the initial months. In 2010, at our suggestion, the district authorities upgraded the bandwidth at the hospital. Since June 2010, Telerad Foundation provides free CT reporting to the hospital, resulting in a significant improvement in patient care times and volume.