Healthinf-ethiopia and ethiohealth discussionforum

Author : yohannes damtev MD
Date added : 2001-04-14

Brief Project Background

Healthinfo-Ethiopia acquires and disseminates information, networks health workers in Ethiopia and the Diaspora, helps in the fight against HIV /AIDS. It also contributes in turning brain drain into brain gain.It creates awareness about ICT, trains health workers in the usage of ICT as well as promotes ICT in Ethiopia. As a result of healthinfo-Ethiopia’s effort many health workers could know about healthnet and internet. More than 350 health professionals were trained on how to use internet, healthnet Medical CD-ROMs etc.
Healthinfo-Ethiopia helps medical Societies in acquiring health related information using ICT for their Newsletter and Journals. Healthinfo-Ethiopia using ICT could create a robust International Scientific Advisory Board for Journal of Ethiopian Medical Practice(JEMP). It finalizing plans to work with Addis ababa City health Department to design a website for it and also in helping the Department to use ICT for its activities.

Project description
Healthinfo-ethiopia is an institution, which promotes ICT among health professionals as well as acquires and disseminates health-related information about Ethiopia/Africa to Ethiopians/Africans in the continent and the Diaspora. For the purpose, it organizes annual ICT conference for health professionals which is increasing subscription of healthnet- a global communication network for health professionals for instance connection to healthnet in Ethiopia increased by 60% in just 6 months bringing more and more health professionals in Ethiopia to the information superhighway. ‘Ethiohealth’ discussion forum http://ethiohealth.listbot.com another of its project aims at the fight against HIV/AIDS and improvement of the health care delivery in the country by creating the avenue for the involvement of Ethiopian health professionals in the Diaspora in health related activities in Ethiopia and also creating a means for networking of professionals on both sides. It also brings various professionals other than medical people into the discussion forum as HIV/AIDS is a developmental problem and needs the involvement of Economists, social workers, media people, People living with HIV/AIDS etc Thus it has brought together people from various walks of life to discuss Africa’s worst enemy-HIV/AIDS. We are happy to see that the contents of this discussion group are becoming resources for the local print media leading to convergence of ICT and print media in the country in the fight against the scourge.

Results

Project results
Healthinfo-Ethiopia is paving the way for collaboration of health professionals in the Diaspora and health Societies in Ethiopia. It has enabled the establishment of a robust International Scientific Advisory Board for the Journal of Ethiopian Medical Practice (JEMP) using ICT. Moreover, we have also managed to bring together robust peer-reviewers’ database for the journal making a very difficult task as simple and as easy as we could have never imagined without ICT. Not only did it make reviewing of manuscripts easier for us by making huge list of reviewers available to us but also we could change brain drain to brain gain creating an effective method for Continuing Medical education as well as More access to Evidence based medicine for health workers in the country as we are getting more manuscripts from the Diaspora by E-mail. The Author is working through ICT with a group of distinguished Scientists from the US medical institutions which will be coming to Ethiopia in few weeks time to create collaboration with Ethiopia Health care institutions. Our communication has been facilitated thanks to ICT.

Lessons

Creating link with the diaspora
Healthinfo-Ethiopia gives fortnightly updated health related news and inform them of activities in their home country in the fight against HIV/AIDS etc Through its discussion forum it is creating a forum for exchange of views between local health professionals and others with the Diaspora. It has also made various resources such as Health policy, HIV/AIDS policy etc available to the Diaspora and even other health workers These are material in short supply in the country.

Turning brain drain into brain
Healthinfo-Ethiopia’s founder and Editor in Chief of Journal of Ethiopian Medical Practice (JEMP) has managed to form a robust international Scientific Advisory Board to help make JEMP an internationally recognized Scientific Journal. To help attain this goal in addition to using the E_MAIL option we are developing an interactive website for Journal. One of our limiting factors in the progress of our Journal was shortage of peer reviewers but as a result of our increased usage of ICT we could tape from the Diaspora and have managed to develop a Peer-reviewers database. We are also managing to get really useful manuscripts from the Diaspora which will foster continuing Medical Education in the country, increase Evidence Based Medicine and educate the local health workers.

Collaboration with diaspora health workers
We are using the ICT to help health professionals when they come in-groups to help the health care system of Ethiopia. It is though our discussion forum that they announced to health professionals that they are coming to forge collaboration with sister institution in the country.

Working with media people
Healthinfo_Ethiopia is working with a number of media people in creating awareness about HIV/AIDS as well as transfer of knowledge about the disease through ICT notably thought its discussion forum.

Future plans

• Strengthening what we started, by buying domain and space for our site which is currently on geocities.com
• Starting interview of the week to honor unsung heroes who are toiling to keep healthy specially those working in remote areas with poor facilities.
• Featuring institutions which are working with community to improve their health as well as those doing well in the fight against HIV/AIDS
• Starting Tropical Medicine case presentation page which will contribute towards Continuing Medical Education with the help of the international Scientific Board already being established.
• Continue ICT awareness annual conferences and workshops
• Continue to publish ‘Guide to ICT for Health professionals' which has already proved to be useful.
• Establish CD-ROM library for health workers and start a telecenter for health professionals.

Limitations
The cost of internet access as well as the fact that it is difficult to log in and stay logged. The connection rate is also very slow in Ethiopia which also inflates the cost. Lack of CD-ROMS and computers to start Medical library. Lack of sufficient office to accommodate all our plans. Lack of Digital Camera and scanner.
Publicity
Our activity is getting a lot of publicity these days locally. Media is covering it and I had to give a number of interviews regarding the activities. But I know that we have to publicize it more we need more and more people to take part in the discussion forum both from the country and Diaspora.

Development Impacts

Development aspects
The above projects have already had a lot of impact. The discussion forum content is already featuring in local print materials thus reaching the public in directly. The ICT training and awareness conferences and workshops made more health workers learn about ICT and how to use ICT. The number of health institutions which got connected to HEALTHNET increased by 60% following our first ICT conference and Workshop. The ICT guide booklet is being used by many throughout the country. Using our website and discussion forum and E-mail we could create a robust International Scientific Advisory Board which will help in the transfer of knowledge as well as in turning Brain DRAIN (the Country’s main problem) into Brain GAIN. We are, however, working hard to make the project self-sustaining by offering services to Health related NGO’s, health related Governmental institutions as well as by sponsors. Our website which is being upgraded behind the scene and being readied to be launched on its own domain is at the moment at http://www.geocities.com/healthinfo_ethiopia
where as our discussion forum is at http://ethiohealth.listbot.com

Project Information

Organisation : healthinfo ethiopia

Contact Information

yohannes damtev MD
yohannes@dr.com

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