Infrastructure needed

To put up infrastructure in public hospitals will be the key challenge. Private hospitals like the Aga Khan University Hospital and Nairobi Hospital have the resources, but given the history of bureaucracy in African governments, it will take time for public hospitals to pick up the practice.

"The equipment is expensive. To roll it out in public hospitals will need the administration to address who will initiate the process, who will 'own' it and it also requires expertise," said Murayi.

The procedure will obviously be embraced in towns before it goes to the rural hospitals, where medical services across Africa in general is still poor.

Deficiencies in Internet connectivity and electricity supply will hamper telesurgery, and in addition, patients may not accept being treated by someone who is not physically in the room. Plus, there are very few doctors in Africa to adequately liaise with other specialists in other parts of the world, even if the money and infrastructure was present.

Trust issue

But there are some positives. A study in the Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology notes, "telemedicine at least promises lower costs."

"Insurers may worry that telemedicine could add millions to the nation's healthcare bill; but proponents insist that it can save rural healthcare costs for both patients and providers," notes the study titled Telemedicine Comes of Age published in 2000.

"With regard to economics, cost-effectiveness is a crucial issue; cost and time savings were, after all, among the original aims of telemedicine. An increase in demand will decrease the cost and as the cost decreases, use will broaden," it added.

Telesurgery may also assist in training as medical students may be patched through some of the "live" operations in other parts of the world and learn how to carry out the procedures.

Perhaps the biggest issue of this new procedure is one of trust. The journal article takes the view that there has to be "tight trust" among the doctors and between the doctors and patients for any form of telemedicine to succeed and consent would need to be given by the patient.

(Reporting from Kenya)