A Page for the second Uganda Team...
Collaborative Group (Vic, Alex, Elizabeth)
Elizabeth's cell phone: 916-276-4834
Alex's cell phone: 650-283-5154
Vic's cell phone: 415-637-7286
Scheduled meetings:
Friday, April 27 1:00pm - 3:00pm Wallenberg
Sunday, April 29 5:00pm - 7:00pm Wallenberg 4th floor
Friday, May 5 11:00am CERAS lobby
Sunday, May 7 5:00pm Wallenberg 4th floor
Meeting Attendees: Annie Adams, Alex Bernadotte, Nicole Sanderson, Elizabeth Sigler, Vic Vuchic, Greg Warman
Guest: Muki Hansteen-Izora (Research Scientist, Intel Digital Health Group)
Background notes on Intel:
Intel has been reorganized in last couple of years into several platform groups
Launch of Emerging Markets Platform Group (Community PC; Classmate PC low cost standard mini laptop focused on educators (just sold 700,000 to Pakistan))
Muki has been at Intel for approx 1 year - he is part of the Digital Health Group, which was created one year and a half ago, in Health Research and Innovation practice
Digital Health Group Solutions (Healthcare Information Technology and Personal Health Platforms)
Digital Health Group Products (1. MCA Mobil Clinical Assistant - tablet PC that allows nurses to access up-to-the-minute patient records and to document a patient's condition instantly; 2) At-home care device to monitor diagnostic info at home)
Digital Health Group/Health Research and Innovation goals (Exploratory research to try to uncover the ways in which technology can impact the health care challenges in developing countries and remote areas)
Origin of Uganda Project (Intel relationship with UC Berkeley School of Public Health - Berkeley wanted to create large telemedicine project for 5 countries in Africa)
Intel does not have a presence in Uganda - they have a site in South Africa and they just created a site in Kenya
CHES (Community Health Ecosystem Support)
Uganda
English is the official language; Lugandan is the language spoken the most besides English
Very high literacy (approx. 70%)
Gender/equity issues very big in Uganda (balance content when we think about design)
4 tiered health care system in Uganda
Uganda Project 1:
Kamuli District (North central Uganda)
Population of approx 5000 (?)
People dispersed to countryside
Town center surrounded by homesteads
POWER: all of Eastern Africa in power crisis rain has been limited, water levels significantly decreased
In rolling blackouts can be out for one week at a time as they rotate locations)
Every business has a diesel generator; with rising gas prices, its very expensive to operate a generator
Water supply comes from wells
Telecenter
A public place where people can access computers, the Internet, and other technologies that help them gather information and communicate with others while developing digital skills (from telecenter.org website)
3 or 4 telecenters across Uganda that receive funding from IDRC (International Development Research Centre) in Canada
IDRC and a few other organizations created telecenter.org, a global network to support telecenter operators
UDS Telecenter
UDS (Uganda Development Services) Telecenter is part of telecenter.org network (UGABYTES is the network in Uganda to which UDS belongs)
UDS run by strong telecenter leader
Intel is funding infrastructure
Originally opened to compete with another telecenter in Kamuli (their prices are a lot more expensive than UDS)
3 rooms access to small set of books and materials; and daily newspaper for which patrons dont have to pay; also, courtyard in the back
Currently a small computer lab where people pay for access to internet
Also a library, classroom, store (sell office supplies)
Other services/equipment include copier, binding machine and fax (these services are also sold)
Location (20 minute walk from town center; 10 minute walk to school; Water tower next door (?))
Technology (CDMA wireless LAN line; 128-256K connection to share by all users)
Current User Profiles
Teacher from local school (researching info/content from University; wants to examine the possibility of offering distance learning courses)
Female attorneys from Kampala (capital) researching/working on human rights issues
Private doctor researching medical information
UDS Goals
To become financially self sustaining after Intel commitment ends
Establish health Kiosk within UDS telecenter
Staff facilitators provide key assistance to users
Enable community access to public health content (dedicated computer)
Continuing medical education for local health professionals and remote diagnostics support
Establish wireless connectivity between 4 sites UDS, VEDCOs Kamuli district offices, and 2 Kamuli health clinics (enable and optimize sharing of bandwidth with partners)
Supply UMDs (ultra mobile devices) and custom applications to VEDCO's health and nutrition workers
VEDCO (Health, nutrition and sustainable agricultural practices; They have a farm in Kamuli; In process of developing content and curriculum (i.e. how do you grow plants that are nutritious?))
Users
Health care workers
General public
NGOs (support information and dissemination activities)
Mukis Suggestions & Comments
UDS can possibly sell bandwidth to NGOs (maybe WIFI antenna between sites; cost would be approx $800 per site)
VEDCOs health and nutrition workers can potentially bring UMDs out into the field to demonstrate agricultural techniques to community members
Could put a couple of kiosks at the 2 health centers
Could create a telemedicine connection between UDS and the health centers
How can you package and organize kiosk to make it easier to access health information?
How do you push content and increase skill set of rural health care workers (some take correspondence courses)?
Can you make public health content (vaccination, safe sex, etc.) accessible to general public in the UDS Center?
Should public access content for rural agricultural workers use pictures rather than text?
Possible ways to split group
One group working on kiosk and one group working on UMDs (mock up some examples)
One group working on general public health (content) and one set on continuing education for health care workers
One group focusing on UDS telecenter and one on the NGOs
Uganda Project 2:
Lyantonde District
Provide health care workers with UMDs translate forms and set up cashing units which allow them to beam (via infrared) data gathered during the day to Ministry of Health
Create wireless network within the district and supply UMDs to push richer content out to community
Contacts
Director of UDS Telecenter in Kampala is Rita; in Kamuli its Jeffrey
VEDCO partnership with Iowa States Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (we can potentially contact them to find out more about VEDCO)
One Big Question:
Muki talked a lot about packaging and producing content (designing public access content) what is our goal? (we are not content designers)