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T-ICU Commences Remote ICU Support Contracted by JICA for About 10 Countries in the Oceania, Asia, Africa and Latin America Regions

August 26, 2021

T-ICU Co., Ltd. (“T-ICU”), a member of the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster and provider of remote intensive care unit (ICU) support services (“the Company” [headquartered in Kobe, Hyogo; President and CEO: Tomoyuki Nakanishi, M.D.]), hereby announces the establishment of a joint venture with CDC International Corporation and were awarded a contract to undertake the “Project for Capacity Development of ICU Using Telemedicine under COVID-19 Pandemic,” which is a technical cooperation project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (“JICA”). Intensive care physicians and nurses in developing countries are to be remotely connected with intensive care physicians and nurses in Japan to receive intensive care training and advice on treating critically ill patients in the remote ICU services. This project will be implemented in about 10 countries.

The number of patients who receive ICU treatment has rapidly increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Enhancing the capabilities of physicians, nurses, etc. who treat critically ill patients and establishing ICU facilities to provide intensive care to COVID-19 patients while separating them from other patients have become urgent issues. Amid such circumstances, as an organization that implements official development assistance (ODA) projects, JICA initiated the “Data Collection Survey on the Use of ICU Telemedicine in Pandemic Situations” (“the Survey”). To date, the Survey has been conducted in 15 countries around the world. Since May 2021, pilot activities have been conducted in four hospitals in three countries, namely, Indonesia, the Philippines and Bangladesh, to verify the methods and the effectiveness of remote support in the discipline of intensive care. Through the Survey, the need for remote-based support of intensive care in various countries around the world has been confirmed, and the technical cooperation project, “Project for Capacity Development of ICU Using Telemedicine under COVID-19 Pandemic,” is set to launch in about 10 countries, including countries currently preparing for the project. The Company will continue providing ICU training on intensive care and technical advice through remote ICU services in this project as well.

Target countries and hospitals for pilot project

Bangladesh: East West Medical College & Hospital
Indonesia: University of Indonesia Hospital, Hasanuddin University Hospital
Philippines: San Lazaro Hospital

Remote Tele-ICU Support that has been provided using a web-based meeting system since the spring of 2021

As part of the pilot activities under the Survey, the Company has been providing intensive care basic training remotely for physicians and nurses at East-West Medical College Hospital in Bangladesh, the University of Indonesia Hospital, the Hasanuddin University Hospital in Indonesia and the state-owned San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, Philippines. The main lecturers are Japan-based intensive care physicians and certified nurse specialists in intensive care. This basic ICU training is an opportunity to provide basic information necessary for the smooth provision of remote ICU services, and the contents prepared are unique to sessions for both physicians and nurses, such as contents related to respiratory and circulatory systems; and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Although the training was web-based, there were real-time interactive sessions in which lecturers in Japan answered questions asked by the participants, which also served as valuable opportunities to gain first-hand knowledge of medical care and nursing in target countries. There was even a session that attracted more than 100 nurses, indicating their high level of interest.

Future outlook

As medical cultures, religious backgrounds, ethical standards and other factors differ from country to country, it is very important to understand the target countries and hospitals’ medical sector. The Company will provide remote ICU support to each hospital effectively with a deep understanding of the target hospitals attained through each activity, such as real-time training sessions and case conferences. The state of the COVID-19 pandemic varies by country, and the Company will provide optimal support based on the state and public-health circumstances of each country. Through the support, the Company will also aim to contribute to the further development of the system to provide medical care to critically ill patients in each country.

Details on remote ICU support

Project:Intensive Care Capacity Enhancement Using Remote Technology in a Novel Coronavirus Epidemic
Target Countries:Indonesia, Tonga, Palau, Senegal, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Bolivia, etc.
※Technical cooperation "Partnership Project for Strengthening Health Systems in Africa Phase 2" is underway with the Coast Provincial General Hospital, Mombasa, Kenya.
Scheduled implementation period:12~15 months
Organization:Supervising ministries and agencies(Mainly Ministry of Health)
Target Countries:

  • 1) Indonesia: University of Indonesia Hospital, Hasanuddin University Hospital
  • 2) Tonga: Viola Hospital, Nukualofa City
  • 3) Palau: Belau National Hospital, State of Koror
  • 4) Senegal: Dalaljam Hospital, Dakar Province
  • 5) El Salvador: El Salvador Hospital, San Salvador City
  • 6) Guatemala: San Vicente Hospital, Guatemala City
  • 7) Mexico: O’Horan General Hospital, Valladolid Hospital, Yucatan State
  • 8) Bolivia: Santa Cruz Japanese Hospital, Santa Cruz Province

Specific project activities

  • 1) Tele-ICU Support: Basic ICU Training, Case Conference and Scheduled care to provide advice on treating COVID-19 and other critically ill patients in the target hospitals.
  • 2) Facilities, equipment, etc.: Telemedicine communication systems, temporary ICU medical facilities and installations (containers or prefabricated buildings) and medical equipment for intensive care

Contact

Dai Ogura (Director, T-ICU Co., Ltd.)
contact@t-icu.co.jp