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GNFC mulls major foray into IT

Announces telemedicine alliance

Our Bureau

MUMBAI, Jan. 18

GUJARAT Narmada Valley Fertilizers Co Ltd (GNFC) may hive off its electronics division into a new company as part of its plan to make a major foray into information technology.

Addressing a press conference here today to announce the company's strategic alliance with KBM Group for entering into online telemedicine, Mr. A.M. Bharadwaj, GNFC Managing Director, said,``We are planning to make a major foray in the information techno logy field and, therefore, it is possible that we may start a new IT company in some time.''

GNFC has already invested Rs. 30 crores to set up an information tower in Gujarat. Mr. Bharadwaj said, ``We will extend support to other IT companies through investments and marketing.''

GNFC has entered into a strategic alliance with two companies of the Konee Bio-Medical (KBM) Group of India _ Indo Computech Software-Hardware Systems Ltd (ICSHS) and Konee Meditech Ltd _ for venturing into telemedicine and high-end software development.

ICSHS has signed a contract for high-end software development and Konee Meditech a contract for online telemedicine.

GNFC will set up telemedicine centres at various suburban and rural points, and hospitals. Mr. Bharadwaj said the tie-up is such that the GNFC will provide the infrastructure and the revenues will be shared with KBM.

Mr. Jagesh Shah, KBM's Chairman and Managing Director, said, ``Telemedicine is a high-end software programme which transfers medical data from one geographical location to another.''

With online telemedicine, a patient's medical report can reach the doctor within minutes. ``This method will help in reducing the time and geographical constraints,'' Mr. Shah said.

KBM is in the process of setting up centres across the country which would transmit data to a panel of doctors. It already has a centre in Ahmedabad and plans to set up centres in Mumbai and Delhi too.

While there is no cost for registration with the centres, a patient would have to pay Rs. 650 for the treatment, which includes the cost of data transfer and doctor's fees.

KBM has 48 doctors from different faculties on its panel in Ahmedabad. KBM has also developed the `Event Recorder', which can record the ECG of a person within a minute and transmit the result over an ordinary telephone line to doctors. The machine costs Rs. 17,000 and is manufactured at KBM's Ahmedabad unit.