Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday launched a telemedicine programme, as part of a groundbreaking partnership forged between Christian Medical College (CMC) Ludhiana and IMAS Healthcare Private Limited (IMAS), the official facilitator of physician-to-physician video consultations for Cleveland Clinic (USA) in India on a host of medical problems, including Covid-19.Cleveland Clinic is an internationally recognized and trusted 6,026-bed adult and paediatric health system that includes a 165-acre main campus in Cleveland, Ohio, with 18 hospitals and more than 220 outpatient facilities. Some of the areas of telemedicine services through this initiative would include Cancer, Cardiology, Neurology, Endocrinology, Pulmonology and general medicine.Lauding the contribution of CMC Ludhiana in the north western region over the past 125 years, Captain Amarinder said, during the launch Video Conference, that he was confident that the people of Punjab would benefit immensely from the venture.He expressed pride that CMC, under the leadership of its Director Dr. William Bhatti, will be the first academic institution to partner with IMAS for the Cleveland Clinic video consultations in India.On the occasion, Chairman of International Operations, Cleveland Clinic Curtis Rimmerman extended full support and alignment with their Indian counterparts for the success of the initiative. He thanked Chairman of Trident Group Rajinder Gupta for his visionary leadership and generous support to make this venture possible, besides collaborating with Cleveland Clinic and spearheading IMAS in India, currently led by Deepika Gandhi.Principal and Professor of Neurology Dr. Jeyaraj D Pandian, who is in charge of the programme, stated that this partnership would provide the citizens of the state, through a licensed Indian physician at CMC, the opportunity to explore complex health queries and novel treatment options for rare diseases. Most importantly, it will empower the people of India to make informed medical decisions by seeking medical advice from two esteemed organizations, CMC and Cleveland Clinic, without having to travel outside Punjab.Executive Director, Cleveland Clinic International Operations, Rob Stall said, “We look forward to this collaboration with Mr. Gupta and CMC. Now more than ever we’ve seen the importance of digital health, now we can bring this service to India.”Although there are several organizations that offer telemedicine today, Cleveland Clinic is an ideal partner for collaborating with Punjab and with CMC on this first-of-its-kind initiative in India, for several reasons. Newsweek has ranked Cleveland Clinic the No. 2 hospital in the world, as part of its World’s Best Hospitals 2020 analysis and stated “Cleveland Clinic has always made patient care its centerpiece, and it takes to heart its motto: ‘Care for the patient as if they are your own family.’