Indra, one of the leading multinational consulting and technology firms in Europe and Latin America, has provided its experience and global leadership in the field of health and Digital Medical Records to the 'SAHEL' ("Satellite African eHealth validation") project.

The objective of this project is to support the implementation and subsequent expansion of financially viable telemedicine services in Africa through the integrated use of Information and Communication Technologies and satellite technology.

The 'SAHEL' initiative is managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and co-funded by the European Commission for Sub-Saharan Africa. Its origin lies in the conclusions extracted from the Telemedicine Task Force (TTF) that was launched in 2006 and involved the participation of various European and African organisations.

Its start-up marks a milestone in the medical care that has been provided to date in the African continent, and it is an example of how the collaboration of institutions, businesses and organisations can help bridge gaps and contribute to truly and effectively improving the quality of life for the people and the local economies of developing countries.

'SAHEL' has made it possible to define and implement a pilot that connects the remote regions of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with hospitals and medical centres of excellence.

It marks the first step towards configuring a comprehensive telehealth system (eHealth) that includes services in the area of telemedicine, epidemiological control and continued education for healthcare staff as the basic pillars on which to base future services.