The Federal Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, has launched the Health eTowns TelehealthNT Network initiative that will give remote communities in the Northern Territory better access to healthcare.

 

The Health eTowns TelehealthNT Network project is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Northern Territory Governments and is part of a $20 million Digital Regions Initiative that will:

  • improve the delivery of health and education services to people in 47 remote towns in the Northern Territory;
  • provide telehealth services to emergency rooms and resuscitation areas in Northern Territory regional hospitals and 17 Territory Growth Towns; and
  • allow doctors based in Darwin to examine, talk to, and diagnose patients in remote areas through the use of high-definition Medicarts and room-based units.

 

Senator Conroy said interactive online education and training programs have also been implemented to give students and trainees access to mainstream health education programs that are currently only available to students in larger cities.

 

“The Health eTowns initiative will help close the healthcare and education gap experienced by remote communities in the Northern Territory”, Senator Conroy said.

 

Since the project started  in 2010, the Australian and Northern Territory Governments have increased their contributions so services can be expanded beyond the initial target of 17 Territory Growth Towns into a further 30 remote communities in the Northern Territory. 

 

The additional funding is also being used to develop a telehealth connection service which help services share relevant health information.

 

The Australian Government is co-funding a further 13 projects and three NBN-enabled trials across Australia through the $60 million Digital Regions Initiative.

 

Details can be found at: www.dbcde.gov.au/digitalregions