Tsilitwa is a small clinic in the region of the former Transkei, now part of new South Africa. The cinic is run by 3 nurses and does not havy a doctor. The next doctor is located in a small hospital, approximately 20km over a mountain - too far for a patietn to walk. At the Tsilitwa Clinic, CSIR has established a wireless network link that allows the sister in the clinic to contact the doctor using a simple web-camera. Besides, the nurses also take still images for dermatology and submit them to a dermatologist in East London, 600km away. More about the project can be found on their website.
Figure 1: the (old) clinic building in Tsilitwa with the external aerial for the wireless connection. The new building should be opened in 2005.
Figure 2: Inside the clinic. The image of the patient is transmitted life to the Sulenkama hospital, where the doctor can immediately see the patient. The telephone next to the computer is a VoIP phone - there are no "real" telephone lines available in Tsilitwa yet.
