CISCO

AMMAN, Jordan, 29 July 2011: The Government of Jordan and Cisco today formally launched a unique regional health clinic that will use Cisco care-at-a distance technology to bring patients and physicians at the Al-Mafraq Governmental Hospital (MGH), in the north-east of Jordan, together with specialists at Prince Hamzah Hospital(PHH), in Amman, for healthcare consultations.  This first implementation of Cisco's HealthPresence™ solution in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region  demonstrates how technology can transform the delivery of healthcare in rural areas.

As part of the Jordan Healthcare Initiative (JHI), Cisco has strategically collaborated with the Government of Jordan to provide thought leadership in ICT-enabled healthcare solutions as well as to support the initial implementation of Cisco Care-at-a-Distance Solutions to help enable quality healthcare services for remote and underserved communities. The deployment of the Cisco HealthPresence solution to connect Al-Mafraq Governmental Hospital to Prince Hamzah Hospital marks one of the first projects under the JHI strategy.

An event  to mark the unveiling of the solution was held at the Al-Mafraq hospital under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Abdellatif Woreikat, Jordan's Minister of Health. Also in attendance were senior officials from the Jordanian Government as well as senior representatives from Cisco.

Highlights / Key Facts:

• The Cisco HealthPresence solution combines high-definition video, advanced audio, and network-transmitted medical data to create an environment similar to what people experience when they visit their local doctor or health specialist. It can be configured to support multiple locations and to use network connectivity to match the appropriate expert with the health needs of the patient. Designed for use by a licensed healthcare professional, it can extend the reach of healthcare providers, increasing access to specialists and can be used to redirect unnecessary hospital visits to low cost clinics.
• Cisco HealthPresence allows patients to interact through technology with doctors who may be hundreds of kilometers away, within a clinical setting. It creates a dynamic environment for patient care, delivers a true-to-life experience between the patient and the provider, and helps improve lives by making it easier to access care.
• The Jordan Healthcare Initiative was originally envisioned by His Majesty King Abdullah II and Cisco's Chairman and CEO John Chambers when the two leaders agreed to explore opportunities for Cisco and the Jordanian government to collaborate on transforming Jordan's healthcare delivery system.
• In December 2010, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Government of Jordan and Cisco to formally establish the Jordan Healthcare Initiative.  The JHI focuses on strategic collaborations to help design and deploy 21st-century healthcare enabled by innovative information and communication technology.