"When we talk about the big benefits from telemedicine, we are not talking about how in Sofia, in the center, a patient could get help and what is better - whether he should sit at home or skip to the hospital, which is 100 meters away from him. We are talking about the remote regions where there is a lack of medical assistance"=
This was commented by the former director of "Pirogov" Prof. Spas Spaskov in the studio of "The Day ON AIR".
In his opinion, instead of opposing quality in-person examinations and telemedicine services, it is necessary to study how telemedicine can complement the existing system, especially in areas where access to specialists is limited.
"The world is galloping, it is moving forward, and we are trying to come up with various pseudo-arguments about how we will stumble the world in this action,", Prof. Spaskov told Bulgaria ON AIR.
Criticisms of telemedicine are often related to the difficulty of diagnosing certain diseases, especially when it comes to conditions that require a physical examination, such as abdominal pain. It is important to emphasize that telemedicine is more for consultation and follow-up of chronic conditions than for emergency medical care.
Spaskov emphasized that for the successful introduction of telemedicine, it is necessary to develop regulations that will determine how this service will function and what control will be over it.