The Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences New Delhi has started an innovative project to collaborate with primary care physicians around the country to develop expertise in treating complex and chronic diseases. Christened Project ILBS ECHO, the program is based on interactive learning and co management of patients by primary care physicians from remote or underserved areas with a team of specialist doctors sitting at a super specialty academic medical centre like ILBS through the use of modern technologies like teleconferencing and the internet. 15 doctors, mostly general practitioners from smaller cities outside Delhi, have been inducted into the first phase of the program. Utilizing teleconferencing and software technology specially made available to these participants by the University of New Mexico and the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, these doctors will interact weekly with a team of specialists from ILBS to discuss cases and monitor progress of their patients. Over a period of time, these doctors will be trained in treating complicated diseases like Hepatitis C and B, or other liver disorders as effectively as those in ILBS, creating a permanent capacity addition in the healthcare delivery system of the country. The initiative aims at improving access to super speciality healthcare in remote and underserved areas of the country.

The project was inaugurated by Mr R Gopalakrishnan, IAS who is presently serving as Secretary to the Innovation Council of India. Dr Sanjeev Arora, Professor of Internal Medicine at University of New Mexico in USA, was also present at the inauguration. Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin, Director ILBS, welcomed the participants and affirmed his conviction that with the help of this technology, the country can create multiple centres of excellence for the treatment of chronic diseases and multiply the impact that a place like ILBS can have. Dr Sanjeev gave an overview of the project and spoke of his vision of making the wisdom and acumen of specialists like Dr Sarin available to every resident of the country through the force multiplier effect of project ILBS ECHO. Speaking on the occasion, Mr R Gopalakrishnan said that countries like India need such models to be able to address our healthcare demands. He said that improving access to high quality reliable healthcare with innovations like Project ILBS ECHO was the key to meeting our burgeoning needs.

Speaker’s Profile

Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan Member, Innovation Council of India Mr. Gopalakrishnan has been working with the Indian Administrative Service since 1979. As Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, his responsibilities in PMO include overseeing Ministries of Planning and Planning Commission, Human Resource Development, Health & Family Welfare, and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation. As the point person in PMO he was  monitoring Flagship Programmes through the Delivery Monitoring Unit, Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change, Prime Minister’s National Council for Skill Development and Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations. He completed a Masters in International Development at Cornell University with a focus on Development Economics and Policy. He was the recipient of Hubert H Humphrey (1989-90) and World Bank (1992- 1993) Fellowships. He won the first Commonwealth International Innovation Gold Award for Public service in 1998 for the Education Guarantee Scheme of Madhya Pradesh.
Dr. Sanjeev Arora Project Director ECHO, UNM. Dr Arora is a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNMHSC). He received his medical degree from the Armed Forces Medical College in India and completed his gastroenterology fellowship at the New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Additionally he is Director of Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes). Dr. Arora developed the Project ECHO model as a platform for service delivery, education and evaluation. Using video-conferencing technology and case-based learning, primary care providers from rural and underserved areas and prisons are trained and mentored by ECHO’s medical specialists to deliver best-practice management of complex health conditions in their communities or correctional institutions.
Dr. S K Sarin Director, ILBS, New Delhi. Dr. Shiv Kumar Sarin is a Gastroenterologist with special interest in Liver diseases. He is currently the Professor and Head, Department of Hepatology, and Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), New Delhi, India. ILBS is a dedicated institute for treatment, training and research in the filed of Liver and Biliary Diseases, set up by the Govt. of Delhi. Being a creative thinker and with main thrust on providing first rate clinical diagnosis and management to patients with liver diseases; Dr. Sarin has been able to bring several innovative techniques and treatment protocols in the country and even in the world. In particular, he focused on clinical research in the pathogenesis and management of bleeding in liver diseases due to high liver pressure and hepatitis B and C. His classification of Gastric Varices, 'Sarin's classification', is widely recognized. His publication in the New England Journal of Medicine has achieved a global consensus and has helped improve the management of liver disease patients all over the world. His contributions in the translational research are well recognized and he is an adjunct faculty to the Center for Molecular Medicine, JNU, Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research, Banglore.

More Information by ILBS Project can be found at
http://echo.ilbs.in

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