THROUGH a $1.2-million sponsorship deal with Columbus Business Solutions (CBS), medical professionals are able to access their journals, consult with their peers, make live data-enabled presentations, complete on-the-spot surveys, and respond to emergencies remotely at this weekend’s Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) 49th annual symposium under way at the Jamaica Pegasus.

This, according to MAJ’s President Dr Shane Alexis, will complement the MAJ’s thrust to use technology to enhance the role of the medical practitioner.

“In addition to the mainstream medical issues that we discuss each year at the symposium, we have also been using the platform to accommodate presentations from local and international faculties to include other development-based sessions on information technology, business development, economics, and other elements to support the medical professionals,” he explained.

“…This is especially important based on several of the live data needs we have this year and as we strive to access world-class technology in the delivery of our medical services on a day-to-day basis,” Dr Alexis added.

The push for reliable connectivity is also being realised by other health services entities in Jamaica – among them the Ministry of Health and the National Health Fund.

“We are able to assist the ministry and provide voice and data services to the Ministry of Health’s New Kingston location and its two locations downtown Kingston seamlessly, in less than 30 days,” said Grant Hume, newly appointed VP of CBS.

“The ministry is also benefitting from a single voice-solution plan that connects all its geographic locations and officers working in the field remotely, and all this has resulted in a 67 per cent reduction in the Health Ministry’s total cost of ownership and improved customer service as Columbus’ real-time support ensures that there was limited to no disruption of its services,” Hume added.

The pairing of connectivity solutions and the medical fraternity is therefore poised to enable improvements in service delivery by medical practitioners and medical organisations.

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Omar Spence, manager, marketing programmes, ScotiaBank conducts a customer feedback survey with Tanikie McClarthy, corporate affairs executive, Columbus Business Solutions at the MAJ Symposium last Friday at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.