GNU Health Reporting

05 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by in GNU Health, GNU solidario, HMIS

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

In the last blog I talked about the QR codes integration in GNU Health.
Today I am very happy to  show a couple of reports from GNU Health, done in the Tryton (Relatorio and Libre Office) framework.
In GNU Health you can generate complex dynamic reports. In the next two examples, the patient and newborn information is displayed. Some of the information is encoded in the QR code.

Patient ID card report on GNU Health

Tryton allows you to create dynamic LibreOffice reports, and these two examples show how we can embed functions, real-time graphics or change the font color depending on the gender of the patient, to name a few capabilities of this great environment.
Newborn wristband Identification, with all the information encoded in QR

We show again how Free Software (Tryton, Libre Office, Python, Postgresql, GNU/Linux, … ) allow us doing anything we need. So, please use Free software. It’s ethical.  

We fight for equity in Health care, and one way of doing so is by using Free Software !

About GNU Health

GNU Health is a free Health and Hospital Information System that provides the following functionality :

  •     Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
  •     Hospital Information System (HIS)
  •     Health Information System

GNU Health is an official GNU Package , chosen by Richard Stallman, and is part of GNU Solidario. GNU Solidario is a NGO that delivers education and health to emerging economies with free software.

GNU Health is the Hospital Information System chosen by the United Nations International Institute of Global Health.

Main site : health.gnu.org

Governments hosting GNU Health through their portals :

    European Commission (EU) , JoinUp

    Brazil: Portal do Software Público Brasileiro (SPB)

QR codes in GNU Health

03 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in GNU Health, GNU solidario

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

QR (Quick Response) codes are great, versatile matrix-encoded graphs. Unlike traditional bar codes, they allow to store a lot more information and can be read from most mobile devices.
GNU Health, the Free Health and Hospital Information System now supports QR codes, which will have many uses. To name a few :

  • Patient identification
  • Newborn identification and wristband
  • Electronic prescriptions
  • Health promotion and disease prevention
  • Health center Inventory control
So, anyone with a camera enabled tablet, game console or cell phone can read QR codes. This generates a great scenario for Health promotion. 
We now can have posters in health centers or schools , providing the guidelines for prevention of obesity, diabetes, tuberculosis, HIV, teenage pregnancy, etcetera, all of them with  the proper links with the proper links  so they can be read at home. They can be shared among friends or social networks.
Here is a small demo that you can scan with your favorite QR reader. 
In GNU Health, we have found that all the items enumerated above will help all parties. From the social worker, the health professional, the patient, the families and the ministry of health.
Example on how GNU Health encodes newborn information using QR codes 
There are many applications in the social and medical fields that we can encode in this format, so please give us your feedback and we’ll be happy to incorporate it !
We fight for equality in health care, and incorporating QR codes into GNU Health is just one more step forward.
About GNU Health
GNU Health is a free Health and Hospital Information System that provides the following functionality :

  • Electronic Medical Record (EMR)

  • Hospital Information System (HIS)
  • Health Information System


GNU Health is an official GNU Package and is part of GNU Solidario. GNU Solidario is a NGO that delivers education and health to emerging economies with free software.

GNU Health is the Hospital Information System chosen by the United Nations International Institute of Global Health. 

Main site : health.gnu.org

Governments hosting GNU Health through their portals :
  • European Commission (EU) , OSOR

  • Brazil: Portal do Software Público Brasileiro (SPB)

IWEEE 2012 Granada : Summary

20 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

As we announced in the last few months, on January 11th. and 12th. the 5th edition of IWEEEin Granada took place. This edition was hold during the 2012 OSWC (Open Source World Conference) in Granada.

IWEEE Group
What can I say about this edition?! I really believe that, since the first one, we have gone a long long way. This edition was a little bit different from the previous ones: all the presentations were on the 11th.(speakers program) and on the 12th. the Round Table – Unconference took place in the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Granada, during the 2012 Open Source World Conference (OSWC).

S. Cordara and J. Kafer
The speeches were interesting and really gave space to a great debate on the next day. The idea of IWEEE has always been that of being a space to create new ideas and reflexions. Both speakers and public are always more than welcome to participate with questions, thoughts, solutions, projects …

The IWEEE meetings are growing each year. Thanks to the contribution of each participant in the Unconference – Round Table, we could analyze the real use of free software in the e-health sector and create a set of tasks for each participant, in order to work on them and give some real solutions for the next edition.

GNU Health + Android Integration (screenshot)


GNU Solidario is a very small organization trying to reach out and MAKE A DIFFERENCE. We have many people to thank:



Dr. Salleh, Dr. Syed and Dr. Nurhizam from United Nations University, Institute of Global Health,  for their presentations, round table and for sponsoring the event. During the event, UNU-IIGH and GNU Solidario, materialized the partnership to deploy GNU Health, the Free Health and Hospital Information System, globally.

UNU-IIGH and GNU Solidario partnership
Raúl Zambrano from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Thang Dao and Ludovic Rossel (Doctors without Borders, Switzerland). Inma Gonzalez, Anne Cugier and Manuel Lannaud (Doctors without Borders, Spain). Thang, excellent work during the Unconference. Thanks!!

Round Table: Thang Dao
Cesar Brod, government of Brazil, who has been with us since the first edition of IWEEE.

Round Table: L. Falcon, M. Lannaud, C. Brod and T. Karopka

From the government of Paraguay, Nicolas Caballero, who proposed the IWEEE in Granada and Dr. Gamarra, delegate of Paraguay Ministry of Health.

Thomas Karopka and Etienne Saliez, also with us since the very first edition of IWEEE. 

Round Table: Luis Falcon, Manuel Lannaud and Cesar Brod
Joice Käfer from Brodtec (Brazil); Albert Cervera from NaN (Spain); Carlos Sánchez from UDED (Spain); Pablo José  from FSF (Spain); Nacho Hermoso de Mendoza Garcìa, Angel Moya Pardo and Roberto Segura Lòpaz from Domatix (Spain), Abdrahman Elkafil from NEXTMA (Morocco) and Lievens Frank from Medetel (Luxembourg).

Our little but powerful community is growing faster and faster. This year slogan was COMMITMENT … or, we could better say, the LACK OF IT …. We are working hard in order to deliver real solutions and improve the quality of current e-Health systems. Strangely there were no representatives from the Andalusian Autonomous Government (Junta de Andalucia) … We hope to see you at the next edition.

We know that cooperation between individuals, public administrations and governments in adopting Free Software in public health is the key for all of us to have access to good quality health care. This is GNU Solidario mission: Health and Education with Free Software.

There’s always time to eat and for a picture. Great tapas in Granada !!!
We hope you had a good time as we did. We would love to hear from you, please let us know your thoughts about the event.


I will post more pictures in the next few days, until then …


Be Free … as in Freedom !
Selene

IWEEE 2012 Granada : Commitment

19 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by in GNU Health, GNU solidario

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

The International Workshop on e-health in Emerging Economies (IWEEE) keeps getting better on each edition ! This time we celebrated it during the days 11th and 12th of January in Granada, Spain.
IWEEE is organized by GNU Solidario, and it has become the central point to discuss  Free Software in Health . 
As our friend Cesar Brod mentioned, IWEEE 2012 has been the most successful and collaborative of all. Two days of very interesting presentations and a very productive round table.
In this two-days event, we had been honored by the delegates of the following institutions :
  • United Nations University (UNU)
  • Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
  • United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
  • Government of Brazil
  • Government of Paraguay
  • International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA)
  • European Federation of Medical Informatics (EFMI)
  • Free Software Community : Brodtec, Domatix, FSF, NaN, Nextma and Thymbra
These two days have been very busy, with many great presentations and a fruitful round table, were we have set up goals to achieve in this year 2012, in terms of free software adoption in ehealth, standards, implementations, documentation, mobile integration and interoperability, among others.
Thanks to the United Nations delegates, to Raúl Zambrano from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and to Dr. Salleh, Dr. Syed and Dr. Nurhizam from United Nations University, Institute of Global Health, not only for their active role in their presentations and round table, but for sponsoring the event.
Thank you Inma, Anne, Thang, Manuel and Ludovic from Doctors without Borders. Having MSF among us is very motivating. You are an example to follow inside and outside the field. We all learn a lot from your experience and suggestions !
Team from IWEEE 2012 – Granada
Thank you to the representatives of Latin America governments. Cesar Brod, from the government of Brazil, who has been present since the first edition of IWEEE, and the hosts of IWEEE Brazil for all these years. Thank you all to our friends from the government of Paraguay, to Nicolas Caballero who proposed the IWEEE in Granada, and to Dr. Gamarra, who was the delegate of Paraguay Ministry of Health at the round table. This shows how the South has taken the lead in adopting Free Software.
Ironically, there was nobody from the Andalusian Autonomous Government (Junta de Andalucía). Hopefully next time we’ll have them. It would have been nice to share and discuss with them what is being done in e-health using Free Software.
Thank you Thomas Karopka and Etienne Saliez, also “founding fathers” of IWEEE, whose contribution and participation since the first edition has been key for the increasing success of IWEEE. Thank you Frank Lievens (Medetel) for coming over and for promoting the conference over these years !
Thanks to the Free Software community, represented by Joice Käfer (Brodtec); Albert Cervera (NaN); Carlos Sánchez; Pablo José (FSF);Nacho, Angel and Roberto (Domatix), and Adbrahman from NEXTMA, from Morocco. We need to keep on growing this community to be able to deliver solutions to more institutions and improve the quality of the current eHealth systems. 
Last but not least, thanks to Selene and Cristina, who made sure everything went as planned !
IWEEE has become the reference and meeting point for Free Software in Health, and it’s all thanks to you. Personally, I had a great time in Granada and learned a lot from all of you !

I’m looking forward to seeing all of you in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in IWEEE 2013 . We’ll also wait for our UNU-IIGH and Brazilian friends for specific dates in IWEEE Kuala Lumpur and Brazil for this year. 

We’ll be uploading the pictures from the two days and night. We will also upload the presentations to the IWEEE homepage shortly.

Speakers Program IWEEE 2012 Granada: Commitment

18 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

On January 11th. 2012 Granada (Spain) will host the 5th edition of IWEEE: International Workshop on e-Health for Emerging Economies. 



The event will take place in the Hotel Citymar San Anton in the Hall Moraima. The conferences will start at 9 AM with the Opening Session by Luis Falcón of GNU Solidario.
We are still receiving confirmations from international speakers. The program is pretty much closed down, but if you are interested to give a speech, please send us a mail ASAP. So far we can count with participants from different international organizations.

As always, an important part of IWEEE is the Round Table. This year we have been invited to be part of the International Conference of Free Software that will be held at the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos of Granada on January 12th – 2012.
So in this edition the Round Table, that this year will be an “Unconference” (in order to create the best collaborative environment for new ideas and projects) will take place in the morning of January 12th. as part of the International Conference of Free Software.

Make sure to register to the event by sending an e-mail to : info@iweee.org
January 11th , 2012 – Hotel Citymar San Anton – Granada
Time
Speaker Name
Organization
Country
Speech Title
09:00–09:15
Luis Falcón
GNU Solidario
Spain
Opening Session
09:15–09:45
Mohamed Salleh Yasin
UNU-IIGH – United Nations University International Institute for Global Health
Malaysia
Role of UNU-IIGH in Research and Capacity Building in Free Software
09:45–10:15
Nicolás Caballero
Presidency of the Republic of Paraguay
Paraguay
Open Technologies in Paraguay’s Public Health
10:15–10:45
Nurhizam Safie Bin Mohd Satar
United Nations University International Institute for Global Health
Malaysia
Free Software Hospital Information System: Sustainable Solutions for Developing Countries
10:45–11:15
Joice Käfer
 Brod Tecnologia
Brazil
Technology, an Health Approach
11:15–11:45
Coffee Break
11:4 – 12:15
Cesar Brod
Ministry of Planning – Government of Brazil
Brazil
Public Software, Public Content, Public Health
12:15–12:45
Thomas Karopka
International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) and European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI)
Germany
Health informatics for development: Challenges and opportunities for free software in health care delivery
12:45–13:15
Raúl Zambrano
UNDP – United Nations Development Program
USA
Free Foftware and Human Development
13:15–13:45
Abdrahman Elkafil
Nextma and Moroccan Society for Telemedicine and Health (MSfTeH). 
Morocco
Methodology for Establishing a System of Free Software in Health in a Moroccan Care Center
13:45–15:45
Lunch Recess
15:4 – 16:15
Etienne Saliez
ISfTeH – International Society for Telemedicine and Health
Belgium
Problem Oriented Multidisciplinary Care and Informatics Object Model in low resources and Free Software Environments
16:15–16:45
Aljunid Syed Mohamed
UNU-IIGH – United Nations University International Institute for Global Health
Malaysia
Casemix System on Free Software Platform: Ensuring Sustainability in Social Insurance Scheme
16:45–17:15
Luis Falcón
GNU Solidario
Spain
GNU Health 2.0
Thursday 12th – Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos
Round Table IWEEE Unconference : “Commitment” – Level of Free Software Adoption in Governments and Public Health
We hope to see you in Granada !

More info: 

IWEEE 2012: V International Workshop on e-Health in Emerging Economies

11 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

We are very happy to announce the 5th edition of IWEEE: International Workshop on e-Health in Emerging Economies.
The next edition will be held in Granada (Spain) on January 11, 2012. The slogan for the 2012 is going to be: “Commitment”. It’s time for individuals, public administrations and governments to adopt Free Software in public health, so we can all have access to good quality health care.
Our mission in GNU Solidario is: Health and Education with Free Software.
Some of the topics for discussion will be :

* Free software in the health sector
* e-Health in Public Health
* Need for Free Standards in e-Health
If you are interested to participate with a speech or presentation, please send us your papers: info@iweee.org
More info:  

GNU Solidario welcomes Lomonosov Moscow University in Buenos Aires

07 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in events, GNU Health, GNU solidario

≈ Leave a comment

Lomonosov Moscow State University – Faculty of Medicine in Buenos Aires.

[ Just a brief summary of the main article from the GNU Solidario blog, where you can find the main article.]

On December 5th. in the city of Buenos Aires (Argentina) GNU Solidario welcomed a delegation of the Lomonosov Moscow State University – Faculty of Medicine (Russia).



I want to thank the Barceló University for their tremendous help in every aspect of the logistics of the event. Many thanks to the Dr. Cosme Argerich Hospital, for the great day and guided tour of their health center. 


The Russian Delegation, lead by Prof. Oleg Medvedev, (VD, Ph.D) Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology. Professor Oleg got in touch with me around a month ago. They wanted to get a deeper understanding of the Health care system in Argentina.


Group Picture at Dr. Cosme Argerich Hospital


Dr. Simes and Dr. Medvedev
Signing the cooperation agreement. Dr. Héctor A. Barceló and Dr. Oleg Medvedev
Luis Falcón and Dr. Medvedev
Luis Falcón presenting GNU Health
Prof. Dr. Adrian Barceló and Luis Falcón
Luis Falcón and Dr. Medvedev at the closing session
Dr. Meirovich, former minister of health Dr. H. Lombardo, Dr. Medvedev
Dr. Medvedev showed us great mobile ECG and real-time cardiac monitoring devices (seen on top of the table)

I’m positive this is just the beginning of a very productive relationship between GNU Solidario and the Moscow State University.



GNU Health and Lomonosov Moscow State University – Faculty of Medicine

06 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Hospital Main Entrance

On December 5th. in the city of Buenos Aires (Argentina) GNU Solidario welcomed a delegation of members from the Lomonosov Moscow State University – Faculty of Medicine (Russia) and from ARMIT (Association of Developers of Software for Healthcare System).

The Russian Delegation, lead by Prof. Oleg Medvedev, (VD, Ph.D) Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology. Prof. Oleg got in touch with Luis Falcón, of GNU Solidario, around a month ago. He was coming to Argentina and wanted to learn more about the Organization of the National Health Care System in Argentina.

Moscow University delegation at Hospital Militar Central – Buenos Aires –

Thanks to the help and organization of the Universidad Barceló, the Russian Delegation could get a guided tour at the Dr. Cosme Argerich Hospital.

The delegation is received in the main hall by the authorities of the Hospital
At the Dr. Cosme Argerich Hospital, Dr. José Luis Ciucchi, Dr. Oscar Regalado and Lic. Viviana Rousseaux were in charge of the visit. The 33 delegates with the members from GNU Solidario and the Universidad Barceló were received in the main hall and then started a very interesting tour, beginning with an institutional video about the hospital.

Hospital Institutional video
After that, in order to have a better idea of the hospital care system and organization, the visit continued to the laboratory, hospital rooms, main kitchen, rehab and traumatology, emergency room, operating rooms. The tour at the Hospital ended with a visit to the Museum and with a delicious lunch.

Questions and answers session
Visiting the Hospital. Selene Cordara and Dr. Meirovich
Operating Rooms Section. Dr. Luis Simes and Selene Cordara
Dr. Simes, Dr. Meirovich, Dr. Medvedev, Luis Falcón
Dr. Simes, Lic. Rocio Cabaleiro, Selene Cordara, Dr. Meirovich
Dr. Simes and Dr. Medvedev
At the Hospital Museum
Lunch is served

Group picture
We would like to give a special thanks to the Dr. Cosme Argerich Hospital of Buenos Aires and all the people involved in the organization for their hospitality. It was a great and very rewarding experience.
After lunch prof. Medvedev, Luis Falcón, Dr. Meirovich and Selene Cordara went to the main campus of the Universidad Barceló (Las Heras) to meet with the Dean Dr. Héctor A. Barceló, where a cooperation agreement between the two Universities was signed.

Signing the cooperation agreement. Dr. Héctor A. Barceló and Dr. Oleg Medvedev
Finally we all went to the other campus where the Conferences Program started:
“GNU Health: Benefits of Free Software in Public Health” by Luis Falcón – GNU Solidario –
“Latest Developments In Pharmacology and Research in Latin America” by. Dr. Roberto Baistrocchi, Dr. Aldo Perusso, Dr. Ionathan Meirovich, Dr. Crisitna Rilo – Universidad Barceló –
“Remote-Nutrition: Using new Technologies applied to Education” by Laura Pets and Sofia Goldy – Universidad Barceló –
“Public Health” by Dr. Hector Lombardo Lombardo, former Argentina Minister of Health.
“Current State of Medical Education in Russia” by Dr. Oleg Medvedev – Faculty of Fundamental Medicine –
Luis Falcón and Dr. Medvedev
Luis Falcón – GNU Solidario –
Luis Falcón presenting GNU Health
Prof. Dr. Adrian Barceló and Luis Falcón
Questions and answers
Luis Falcón and Dr. Medvedev at the closing session
Laura Pets, Sofia Goldy, Dr. Meirovich, Dr. Cristina Riló, Dr. Medvedev
Dr. Meirovich, former minister of health Dr. H. Lombardo, Dr. Medvedev
Dr. Medvedev presentation
Dr. Medvedev
Dr. Medvedev showed a great mobile ECG and real-time cardiac monitoring devices (seen on to of the table)

The university also gave us a chance to visit the Nutrition Department, the Library, the Anatomy Lab, the Anatomy Museum, different labs and a classroom.

It has been a very intensive day, full of emotions and knowledge. We were honored to meet Prof. Oleg and its delegation. We are pretty sure this is going to be the first step for future knowledge and business exchanges.
Our special thanks to:
Dr. Luis Simes (Universidad Barceló)
Dr. Ionathan Meirovich (Universidad Barceló)
Dr. Cristina Riló (Universidad Barceló)
Lic. Rocio Cabaleiro (Universidad Barceló)
Dr. José Luis Ciucchi (Hospital Militar “Dr. Cosme Argerich”)
Dr. Oscar Regalado (Hospital Militar “Dr. Cosme Argerich”)
Lic. Viviana Russeaux (Hospital Militar “Dr. Cosme Argerich”)

GNU Health en el Instituto de Previsión Social y Ministerio de Salud Pública de Paraguay

29 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by in GNU solidario

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

El sábado regresamos de Paraguay, donde fuimos invitados por el Gabinete Civil de la Presidencia de la República (Nicolás Caballero – Coordinador de Innovación Tecnológica – ) y por el departamento de informática del Instituto de Previsión Social ( Ana Ayala – CIO de la Dirección Informática –  y Rosa González – Líder del departamento informático de Salud – ), para presentar GNU Health , el sistema Libre de Gestión Hospitalaria y de Salud. 
 
Me alegra ver como Paraguay adopta Software Libre en sus sistemas de Salud Pública , en equipo,  desde el Gabinete de la Presidencia, el Instituto de Previsión Social (IPS) y el Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social (MSPBS).
Actualmente Paraguay encara la informática médica como un bien público, inseparable del contexto de Salud Pública. 
En el hospital Dr. Emilio Cubas. El centro de salud más grande de Paraguay

Pasamos dos días en Asunción, visitando las diferentes clínicas  y hospitales, así como en reuniones con los profesionales de la salud y del gobierno. En estas reuniones, Nicolás Caballero nos explicó las resoluciones que el gobierno de Paraguay está tomando para la adopción de software libre en salud pública.


Nicolás Caballero, Julio Perrota, Ana Ayala, Nelson Caballero, Rosa González y la Dra Carmen Frutos

Luis Falcón, Nurhizam Safie, Cristina Melgosa, Rosa González y Ana Ayala 

Después de visitar distintos centros de salud, nos reunimos con el equipo de informática, con quienes discutimos detalles técnicos de GNU Health, como el entorno de programación, seguridad, escalabilidad y reporting. También nos mostraron su centro de datos donde brindan soporte a todo el país.
Explicando detalles técnicos de GNU Health en el  Hospital General
En la clínica Nanawa: Nurhizam Safie, Luis Falcón, Cristina Melgosa, María Victoria Benítez 

El Doctor Nurhizam Safie, de la Universidad de las Naciones Unidas, Instituto Internacional de Salud Global (UNU-IIGH), partner de GNU Solidario, nos mostró implementaciones de GNU Health en Asia, África y Latinoamérica.
Nurhizam enfatizó el compromiso de las UNU – el brazo académico de las Naciones Unidas – con GNU Health y su posible implementación en el sistema de salud pública de Paraguay, como medio de universalidad la salud. Al día de hoy, la Universidad de las Naciones unidas provee capacitación en GNU Health.
Dr. Nurhizam Safie de las Naciones Unidas en su presentación de GNU Health en IPS
Parte del equipo de informática en el hospital central 
Rosa González, líder del departamento de sistemas informáticos de salud, nos llevó a recorrer los distintos centros de salud, y sus departamentos. Entre ellos  : Farmacia, Laboratorio, citas, hospitalización y diagnóstico por imágenes. 
Rosa explicó a su equiopo la licencia GPL ( GNU General Public License), por lo que ellos tienen toda la libertad de usar y parametrizar GNU Health con el fin de adecuarlo a sus necesidades. Recalqué la importancia de trabajar con la comunidad, porque ellos son parte de la comunidad y aportarán valor agregado al proyecto. GNU Health es el resultado del  esfuerzo de equipos multi-disciplinarios y multi-culturales.
En el hospital Geriátrico
Nurhizam, Cristina Melgosa and Rosa González en el salón de entrada del IPS

El viernes al mediodía fuimos invitados por la Dra. Graciela Gamarra, Directora General de Información Estratégica en Salud, del Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social. Julio Galeana nos mostró los desarrollos que ha realizado el ministerio en software libre en epidemiología.
Conversamos sobre la posibilidad de integrar los sistemas actuales con GNU Health, y su enlace con el sistema de epidemiología actual.
Aprovechando para almorzar
Quiero agradecer al Gobierno de Paraguay por su invitación y hospitalidad, en particular a Rosa González, Ana Ayala y Nicolás Caballero, quienes desde IWEEE Brasil mostraron su interés por llevar a cabo esta reunión. Gracias a Juan Carlos Ávalos y el equipo de logística por hacernos sentir como en casa !
Hoy Latinoamércia es un punto de referencia en la adopción de Software Libre en administración  y salud pública, brindando equidad y universalidad en salud a sus habitantes.
Por último, gracias a Richard Stallman, padre del software libre, quien habló del proyecto con Nicolás Caballero en su momento y nos refirió.
 
Acerca de GNU Health
GNU Health es el sistema Gestión Hospitalaria y de Información de salud de Software Libre que ofrece las siguientes funciones : 
  • Expediente Médico Electrónico (EMR)
  • Sistema de Gestión Hospitalaria (HIS)
  • Sistema de Información de Salud (Epidemiología)
GNU Health es parte de GNU Solidario, una ONG que implementa soluciones de Salud y Educación mediante software libre. 
GNU Health es software oficial del sistema GNU, adoptado por Richard Stallman y la Free Software Foundation. Las Naciones Unidas, por medio del Instituto Internacional de Salud Global, capacita y promueve el uso de GNU Health en los países donde tienen presencia. 
Gobiernos con GNU Health en sus Portales
  • Brasil : Portal do Software Público Brasileiro (SPB) 
  • Comunidad Europea : OSOR / JoinUp
Página principal : health.gnu.org

GNU Health at Paraguay Ministry of Public Health

26 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by in GNU Health, GNU solidario, HMIS, Public Health

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

I just got back from Paraguay, where we were invited by Mr. Nicolás Caballero from the Paraguayan Government to talk about GNU Health at the Social Security Institute (IPS – Instituto de Previsión Social ) and Ministry of Public Health .

It’s great  to see how Paraguay is adopting Free Software in the Public Health System, working as a team, from the Presidency office, the Social Security Institute (IPS) and the Ministry of Public Health (MSPBS).
I noticed how the government conceives Health informatics as a public good, an integral component  of Public Health.   

At Dr. Emilio Cubas Hospital. The largest health center in Paraguay

We spent two non-stop days in Asunción, capital of Paraguay, visiting the different health centers and having meetings with health officials. In those meetings, Nicolas Caballero explained the latest and concrete resolutions that the Paraguayan government is taking on Free Software adoption in public health care. 

Nicolas Caballero and Social Security Institute (IPS) members

Luis Falcón, Nurhizam Safie, Cristina Melgosa, Rosa González and Ana Ayala (director of Informatics)  from IPS

After visiting the different health centers, we had a meeting with the information system team, with whom we discussed the technical details about GNU Health, such as the programming environment, security, scalability and reporting. 
Explaining technical details about GNU Health at the General Hospital
At Clinica Nanawa

Dr. Nurhizam Safie, from the United Nations University, Institute of Global Health explained the partnership with GNU Solidario, and implementation cases of GNU Health in Asia, Africa and Latinamerica.
Nurhizam stressed the commitment of the UNU – the academic branch of the United Nations – with GNU Health and the implementation in the Paraguayan Public Health system, as a way of delivering universality in health care. Today UNU provides training and capacity building in GNU Health implementations.  

Dr. Nurhizam Safie from United Nations University, talking about the UNU commitment to the project
Part of the Informatics department team at Central Hospital led by Rosa González
Ms. Rosa González, Social Security Institute chief of the informatics department, gave us an extensive tour throughout different health institutions and their departments. Among them: Pharmacy, Laboratory, Appointments, Inpatient administration and Imaging.
Rosa explained to her team that GNU Health is licensed under GPL, the GNU General Public License, so they have all the freedom to use and custumize GNU Health to fit their needs. I stressed the importance of working with the community, so the health informatics team can always ask questions in public forums and share with us their developments and bug fixes. GNU Health is the result of many contributions and feedback  from an international community and multi-disciplinary teams.
At the Geriatric Hospital

Dr Nurhizam, Cristina Melgosa and Rosa González at IPS entrance hall

On Friday afternoon we were invited by Dr. Graciela Gamarra, General Director of Strategic Health Information Systems, from the Health Ministry (Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social). They showed us their current epidemiology systems that are being built on Free Software.
We also discussed on integrating all the current systems with GNU Health, and link it to the current epidemiology engine.
Taking a break

I want to thank the government of Paraguay for inviting us and for the hospitality, they made us feel at home.

But most importantly, I want to thank the government of Paraguay for the commitment with Free Software in Public Health. Latin America is today a leader in the adoption of Free Software in public administrations, delivering equity and universality in health care for their habitants.

Last but not least, thanks to Richard Stallman, who referred GNU Health to Nicolás Caballero , chief technology innovation officer of the Presidency office.  Thanks Nicolás for making this possible !

About GNU Health
GNU Health is a free Health and Hospital Information System that provides the following functionality :

  • Electronic Medical Record (EMR)

  • Hospital Information System (HIS)
  • Health Information System


GNU Health is an official GNU Package and is part of GNU Solidario. GNU Solidario is a NGO that delivers education and health to emerging economies with free software.

GNU Health is the Hospital Information System chosen by the United Nations International Institute of Global Health. 

Main site : health.gnu.org

Governments hosting GNU Health through their portals :
  • European Commission (EU) , OSOR

  • Brazil: Portal do Software Público Brasileiro (SPB)