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Space program helps the massesIndia's scientists say out-of-this-world technology can aid poorBy Satinder Bindra ON CNN INTERNATIONAL TV
SPECIAL REPORTQUICKVOTEYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSNEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- For India's scientists, space is not just the final frontier -- it's also a way of building a better, stronger nation. Forty years after its first foray into space, India now makes its own rockets -- the latest of which weighs more than 400 tons and can carry payloads exceeding 2,000 kilograms (4,410 pounds). The space program is also preparing to send an Indian-built lunar craft to orbit the moon, in the hope of finding minerals to fuel India's future energy needs. "We have mastered the space technology -- how to build satellites, how to launch them with our own rocket systems, and then develop the application programs which will benefit the common man," Indian Space Research Organization's Madhavan Nair says. Such forays into space costs India almost $600 million dollars a year, but as Nair points out, the country's space scientists believe it's an investment that benefits the lives of millions of the country's people. For example, India's satellite network is being used to provide specialized healthcare to thousands in the countryside. In the past five years, an Apollo Hospitals facility in southern India has already treated 1,700 patients using a technique called telemedicine. This process uses video cameras in rural clinics to hook up patients to doctors located hundreds of kilometers away. One such patient to benefit from this technology is 17-day-old Varalakshmi, who is suspected to be suffering from a major heart ailment. The doctor reading her X-ray at the other end of the satellite hookup, Dr. Pratap Reddy, is a pioneer in telemedicine. The news is good, Dr. Reddy says. "There is no emergency ... there is no enlargement of the heart and no evidence of heart failure,'' he says. The X-ray is followed by an ECG, which reconfirms Dr. Reddy's initial diagnosis. In layman's terms, Varalakshmi has a tiny hole in her heart, but she doesn't need immediate surgery. The news makes Varalakshmi's mother, Chandralekha, smile for the first time in hours. "Until yesterday I was worried about my child's health, but after speaking to Dr. Reddy, I am relieved," she says. And while some critics question the costs involved, Chandralekha says India's space program needs more resources so the 750 million Indians living in the countryside have access to better health care. "Good health is wealth. I want my daughter to study well and help others.'' 
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