Telemedicine: A Valuable Tool for Health and Life 

Pinar del Río – For just over a month now, the meeting room at the Pepe Portilla Pediatric Hospital in Pinar del Río has become more than just a space for issuing instructions or analyzing vital issues for the institution.
A webcam, a television, and a computer installed there have transformed it into a kind of gateway to other health centers throughout the country.
Dr. Jesús Lazo Cabrera is one of those who has already had the opportunity to witness this firsthand, seeking consensus on how to treat a complex case—one of those that, according to statistics, occurs every five or six years—and which was not progressing as the literature indicates.
For this reason, he affirms that it is a very important step. "That's how the world works," he says.
With the connection to the National Virtual Hospital, the pediatric hospital in Pinar del Río joins the innovative program that, through information and communication technologies, facilitates real-time interaction with specialists from other centers in the province or other regions of Cuba.
Dr. Mayte Cabrera Hernández, its general director, explains that in addition to specialized consultations, the use of telemedicine allows for remote monitoring, telediagnosis, tele-education, and remote consultations.
"In the current situation, with serious fuel limitations, it's a very useful tool because it reduces the need to move patients and decreases waiting times," Mayte points out.
However, she warns that it's not just a matter of saving money, since long-distance transfers—no matter how careful they are—always involve handling and risks. "In practice, sometimes we need to send a patient to Havana for a second opinion or to have a specific test done, and this way we avoid that. Even when transportation options are available, it's more beneficial for the patient if, instead of traveling to the capital, the specialists at the Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital or other institutions can evaluate them remotely, without them having to travel."
In the first month after joining the National Virtual Hospital, the Pepe Portilla Hospital connected to the new service three times. One of these connections was to evaluate the case of Liam Valdés Morejón, a six-month-old baby with congenital global emphysema.
Dr. Jesús Lazo Cabrera explains that, according to the literature, this disease occurs in approximately one out of every 20,000 to 30,000 births. "To give you an idea," he says, "in our province, we average about 5,000 births per year. So, how long would it take between seeing one case and another?"
The specialist recalls that after the child underwent surgery, his progress didn't entirely align with the established medical recommendations. Therefore, they decided to explore other criteria using the "Virtual Hospital."
"This allowed us to share X-rays and case details in real time, as if the other experts were right there."
Dr. Lazo Cabrera affirms that it was a very beneficial experience. "It enabled us to standardize our approach, in accordance with current practices across the country, and provided new treatment plans, which we are currently following and which will be re-evaluated in a month."
No matter how many years someone has been in the profession, the renowned doctor admits that there are certain times when the support of other colleagues is needed.
"Perhaps a case that seems new to you has been seen before in Havana, Matanzas, or Holguín.
"So, this provides us with a unified approach and a sense of security in our procedures, so we can tell the family and the institution that the treatment we will follow is the same as they would in the capital or in Santiago de Cuba, because the entire medical team in this specialty is working in the same way."
In addition to the Vueltabajo Pediatric Hospital, the Abel Santamaría Cuadrado General Teaching Hospital is also part of this valuable program that seeks greater effectiveness in medical care, bridging distances and sharing knowledge, thanks to the benefits of digitalization.
Just over six months old, and continuing to make positive progress from a complicated and unusual illness, little Liam is proof of how much this experience of connecting hospitals and experts throughout Cuba can help in a common endeavor for health and life.