PT Foundation offers BabyCare to Maternidade
Friday, June 01, 2007
The Portugal Telecom Foundation, within the scope of its commitment of intervention and social solidarity, offered the Maternidade Alfredo da Costa (MAC), for its new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit which was inaugurated today, BabyCare, a complementary technological solution that allows the parents of premature babies to accompany their children from home or from any place with Internet
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The Deputy Secretary of State for Health, Cármen Pignatelli, inaugurated the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of MACin the presence of the Director of the PT Foundation, Sousa Macedo. When interviewed by éPT!, the Director of the Foundation highlighted that ''BabyCare is a big technological innovation now connected to Internet facilities of social nature because it brings the family closer to the premature babies at any time''. 'We have been partners of MAC for many years and wish to continue to contribute towards the well-being of the users of this maternity'', said Sousa Macedo.
With the aid of 24 cameras set up in this new wing and also in the Intermediate Care Unit of MAC, BabyCare allows the parents to be in constant contact with the baby. Jorge Branco, manager of the Maternity publicly tanked the PT Foundation for this offer and added that ''as from the first version of this solution many years ago, BabyCare has been very important for parents because it complement the visit to the maternity but with no schedule restrictions''.
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This is a pioneer system at world level and functions very easily. Whenever parents wish to see their baby they just have to write on their PC browser the address of the IP server set up at MAC. Access to the right image and safety in the access to each image is made through the authentication of the user via a keyword provided by the Maternity.
The first version of this solution started seven years ago and initially each incubator featured video transmission equipment with a small camera connected to a digital RDIS telephone line. To see their baby from home parents just had to dial a telephone number to access the Maternity, using also a RDIS line and video transmission equipment connected to a television. This system is still available for users that do not have a PC with Internet connection.
Turrion Leite, responsible for BabyCare, says that "as of the first display of this project in 2000, the idea was never put aside and has always been supported by MAC even during the experimental phase ". " BabyCare has great impact at both national and international level and it has even featured in articles in foreign magazines ", underlined Turrion Leite. "This project is here to stay thanks to the help of the PT Foundation ", added the project manager with experience in the video communications area of PT for around 16 years.
This technological solution now has smaller cameras and of greater resolution and of course the advantages of the Internet.
The aim of the Portugal Telecom Foundation is to render concrete the commitment of social intervention and support to the development of the Portugal Telecom Group within the scope of its responsibility as the largest national communications group.
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