History

This picture is from the early days of telemedicine. Judging by the equipment, we could perhaps call it the infancy of telemedicine. From the left, we catch a glimpse of the former managing director of the Finnmark Hospital Trust, Bjørn Engum, with his back to the camera in front, UNN's great general director Knut Schrøder and the department manager for the radiology department, and the driving force for the development of teleradiology in Northern Norway, Dr Jan Størmer (at the right of the picture).

In 1987 Kjell Borgen, the Minister of Transport and Communications at that time, wrote to Teledirektoratet, the Norwegian telecommunications administration:

"Against the background of the regional development of telecommunications research in northern Norway, we request a statement from Teledirektoratet by the end of May with regard to the possibilities for creating a subdivision linked to the telematics community in Tromsø, with five to 10 employees at the outset.

Teledirektoratet responded positively to this enquiry and indicated that such development could take place in close cooperation with the communities centred on the University of Tromsø and FORUT, the Foundation for Research at the University of Tromsø.

Historical development of telemedicine activity in Tromsø:

1987:

A telemedicine department was established at the research unit of the Norwegian telecommunications administration in Tromsø with the following collaborative partners: Tromsø Regional Hospital (now the University Hospital in Tromsø), the independent research institute Norut IT, Kirkenes Hospital and Troms Military Hospital

1993:

The Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine was established as a department of the University Hospital of North Norway in Tromsø

1999:

Norwegian authorities designated the Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine as a national centre of expertise in telemedicine

2002:

The Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine was designated as the first Collaborating Centre in telemedicine by the World Health Organization (WHO)

2003:

The Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine established regional offices in the regional health authorities of Central Norway (Trondheim), Western Norway (Bergen), Southern Norway (Oslo) and Eastern Norway (Oslo)

2006:

The Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine was designated by the Research Council of Norway as a “Centre for Research-based Innovation” (SFI), and Tromsø Telemedicine Laboratory was established as a research project with the University Hospital of North Norway, through the NST, as its host institution.

Why telemedicine in Tromsø?

The most important driving force for the pioneers who were involved in developing a telemedicine community in Tromsø was made up of two factors:
•    The widely dispersed population
•    The shortage of medical specialists