New hospital: The era of telemedicine has arrived in west Donegal with the opening of a new community hospital in Killybegs.
People in the area who need an X-ray will no longer have to travel to Letterkenny to attend the radiology department in the general hospital. The round trip to Letterkenny can be up to 120 miles for some patients.
The radiographer in Killybegs Community Hospital takes the X-ray and the image is digitally transmitted to Letterkenny General Hospital, where the consultant radiologist reviews it and sends a report back.
This has been made possible because of the installation of a digital X-ray system in Letterkenny last year. Doctors can access and read x-rays on their computers, and the same image can be viewed in different locations simultaneously.
In addition to the radiography link, new technology is also being used at Killybegs hospital to enable video conferencing to take place involving patients, GPs and a surgeon at Letterkenny hospital. During these "teleconsultations", the patient and the GP stay in Killybegs and talk to the surgeon in Letterkenny via a live video link-up. It is particularly used for first consultations.
Teleconferencing is also taking place between Killybegs and the dermatology department of Sligo General Hospital.
Killybegs Community Hospital was officially opened on Friday although the first patients were admitted some three years ago. Kieran Doherty, general manager of community care in the North Western Health Board, said that having a hospital in Killybegs meant many older people could get the services they needed in their home area. More than 500 people were admitted in 2003.