[Telemedicine and international projects: from Asia to Africa: chances for the future?]

Although the morbidity and mortality of neurological diseases in many Asian and African countries is high and are predicted to increase even further in the coming decades, in many areas there is a shortage of medical personnel and high-quality treatment options. This shortage, together with a frequently insufficient healthcare infrastructure, limits the access of many patients to medical treatment. The possibilities of telemedicine are multifarious. It provides new, so far unused possibilities in the diagnostics and treatment of neurological diseases, totally independent of geographical boundaries. In the future it could also be used for the education and training of physicians and medical personnel and to close the existing gaps in healthcare, especially in developing countries.