PAHO's ultra-portable telehealth kit brings specialized primary health care services to remote communities in the Americas

Washington DC, March 18, 2025 (PAHO) – Complex cardiovascular disease management, specialized prenatal ultrasounds, and the diagnosis of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis can now be performed even in the most remote areas of the Americas thanks to the launch of the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) telehealth kits. These kits, part of the Organization’s “All in One for Telehealth” program, provide countries with everything they need to implement telehealth services in rural and hard-to-reach communities across the Region, for just one-fifth the cost of purchasing the equipment separately.

In the Americas, approximately 35% of the population lacks access to the health services they need, primarily due to organizational, financial, and geographic barriers. For Dr. Sebastian Garcia Saiso, Director of Evidence and Intelligence for Health Action at PAHO, "telehealth kits are a crucial step toward democratizing comprehensive primary health care services and making them available to the populations most in need, from the Amazon jungles to the peaks of the Andes, including the small island states of the Caribbean."

Available through PAHO's Regional Revolving Funds, a pooled procurement mechanism that provides countries in the Americas with access to quality vaccines, essential medicines, health supplies, and technologies at affordable prices, the kits contain everything needed to implement telehealth services in the field. This includes equipment such as a blood pressure monitor, a glucometer, a thermometer, an electrocardiogram, a heart rate monitor, and an oxygen saturation meter, all of which can be connected online and used digitally.

All equipment contained in the kits is digital and interoperable and comes in a durable, secure and ultra-portable case, ensuring its safety and operation even when transported over difficult terrain.

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“Although telehealth is not new, the COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged us to explore new possibilities in terms of harnessing the power of telehealth to deliver primary health care services in previously underserved areas of our Region,” said Marcelo D'Agostino, Chief of Information Systems and Digital Health at PAHO.

“The kits can be used by anyone in the field, from a local doctor to a community health worker, and are designed to be digitally connected, facilitating real-time interpretation of results by a specialist who may be thousands of kilometers away,” he added.

When obtained through PAHO's revolving funds, telehealth kits reduce the cost of purchasing the equipment separately by approximately 80 %. Complements for more specialized care are also available, including ultrasound and fetal monitors for prenatal care, and portable X-ray machines, which have already played a critical role in improving early diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in some countries in the Region.

PAHO is working with countries in the Americas to develop telehealth services, from policy development to planning, training, and implementation. To facilitate this process, PAHO's All-in-One Telehealth Module includes open-source software that can be integrated into existing health information systems. This software includes an electronic medical record system for managing noncommunicable diseases and a videoconferencing module for teleconsultations.