Networked veterinary care poised for major breakthrough

The Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) is heading the programme and will manage the central data bank, that is proposed to collect radiological investigations and prognosis of diseases from veterinarians across the country. 

The surgical department of TANUVAS will be the nodal agency of co-ordination, and veterinarians can access the central data bank, consult others for expert opinion and also understand the advancement in technologies in the field. 

“We have already started the process and have connected all our out-patient departments to the computer server. The networking with other veterinary hospitals and research institutes in the country is now under way. The Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) at UP would also be linked to the server,” Ravi Sunder George, head of the department of surgery, TANUVAS told DTNext . He said the prime idea of the programme was to encourage discussions and sharing of ideas between veterinarians in the country. 

The X-Rays and scan images of animals with any medical condition would be uploaded to the server and the doctors could seek expert opinion on surgical procedures and advanced treatment methods from other veterinarians located in any part of the country. 

This facility would also help doctors from rural areas who have limited facilities at their disposal regarding animal health care, to cut time and access advanced medical information from experts based in research institutes and also from veterinary sciences universities. This would also work as a buzzer point regarding disease outbreaks in different parts of the country and co-ordinate among veterinarians to combat the outbreak. 

“Providing inputs regarding surgical interventions for ailments in animals would be easier with the new system. Now it is difficult to access the radiological study material from other parts of the country for analysis. With the new centralised system, any veterinarian can access the radiological images from the central data bank,” Ravi Sunder George said. 

Once the IVRI is connected, veterinarians can also access the abundant research data of the institute. “IVRI is now completing their part of the project and we hope to have the link soon,” he added.