Tag Archives: Chagas

GNU Health presentation at World Health Organization – WHO

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

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Dear friends

I’m very proud to announce that our GNU Health presentation at WHO Second Global Forum on Medical Devices in Geneva, Switzerland, has been published at the World Health Organization site . Thank you United Nations for inviting me, it has been a fantastic experience and opportunity !
I shared with the audience the importance of Free (Freedom) Software in the Health Care sector, stressing that Health must be a public good and it can not belong to private corporations.
GNU Health is now being installed in many countries around the World, it has over 80 translation teams, and a great community that contributes that keeps growing every day.
GNU Health presentation at World Health Organization - WHO
Special thanks to the government of Jamaica, and to its Ministry of Health, who has adopted GNU Health as their eHealth system for the whole country. This is amazing ! Just some years ago, we, health care professionals and social activists, just dreamed about one day being able to provide equality in health care. Today is becoming a reality !
This April 10th I will be in Luxembourg, at Medetel , talking about the GNU Health implementation in Jamaica.
GNU Health 2.6 is coming soon, with a lot of new functionality, such as HL7 FHIR, improved ergonomics, strong auditing, and much more. We’ll be releasing the RC version soon so you can take a look of what is coming up and be able to test it.
Thanks to the Free Software Foundation for making GNU Health a GNU official package; to Free Operating Systems such as GNU/Linux or FreeBSD; to great frameworks like Tryton; to fantastic programing languages like Python and to the most beautiful and powerful database engine PostgreSQL. They all make GNU Health possible.These are just some examples, from a much larger list, to show that GNU Health is a real community-based project.
Let me take this opportunity to invite you to the upcoming International Workshop on Emerging Economies – IWEEE “Social Medicine” , brought to you by GNU Solidario, that will take place in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria this May 29-30th.  Join us and share your experience and benefits of Free Software in the Health Sector !
IWEEE 2014 - Social Medicine
Remember that health must be a non-negotiable human right, and that people always come before profit.
Looking forward to seeing you in Las Palmas !

[1] Luis Falcon. GNU Health Interfacing and Interoperability   http://www.who.int/medical_devices/global_forum/2nd-gf_posters/en/index8.html

[2] Poster : http://www.who.int/medical_devices/global_forum/H40.pdf

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

  • Health Information System (Demographics, Epidemiology)
  • Hospital Information System
  • Electronic Medical Record

GNU Health won the Best Project of Social Benefit from the Free Software Foundation, among other international awards.


GNU Health is an official GNU Package , and is part of GNU Solidario, an NGO that delivers health with free software. GNU Solidario and the United Nations University, International Institute for Global Health have signed an agreement to implement and to train Health professionals GNU Health around the world.

GNU Health was presented at the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Communication Union (ITU) session “ICT for Improving Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health” at the World Summit on the Information Society – WSIS 2013 Forum in Geneva.

Main site : health.gnu.org

GNU Health at Care for the World – MedInfo 2013

16 Tuesday Jul 2013

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MedInfo 2013

We are very happy to participate in Medinfo 2013 and talk about GNU Health in two different sessions:

  • Care for the World Symposium: Collaboration, Openness, Transparency and Trust as Prerequisite for High Quality, Effective and Efficient Health Care.

  • Moving Beyond eHealth Systems for ‘People Like Us’

Care for the World Symposium
 

Care for the World is a symposium organized by Thomas Karopka ( BioCon Valley GmbH, Germany), that I have the privilege to represent GNU Solidario, joining my colleagues Syed Aljunid and Nurhizam Safie (United Nations University, International Institute for Global Health, Malaysia );  Holger Schmuhl (Institute for Biological and Medical Imaging, Helmholtz Center Munich, Germany) and Kjeld Lisby (Ideas Clinic, Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark) 


I will talk about GNU Health, the Free Health and Hospital Information System, and discuss the benefits that Free Software provides to Public Health. I will put focus in Primary Health Care; The MDG6 and Neglected Tropical Diseases functionalty in GNU Health.

Abstract

While the Global South still struggles to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) the health systems of the Global North are under pressure due to an aging population and life style related diseases. In 2000 the Millennium Development Goals have been formulated with the major goal of freeing people from extreme poverty and multiple deprivations. Three of the goals are linked to health, namely reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Three years before the deadline at the end of 2015 the world has met some important targets while others remain to be seen. In this mini-symposium two different but related methodologies will be presented that are regarded by the authors as the most powerful principles to provide high-quality, efficient and effective health care in a global context. These two methodologies are the use of Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) and Open & User Driven Innovation. This mini-symposium provides real world best practice examples of these methodologies. The chosen best practice examples represent a Global South and a Global North perspective and context and will highlight the potential of combining these approaches and are intended to induce a process of mutual learning and exchange of experience among Global South/Global North as well as different communities and different parts of the world.


Moving Beyond eHealth Systems for “People Like Us” 

This workshop is organized by Paul Turner (eHealth Services Research Group, University of Tasmania, Australia) , Andre Kushniruk (School of Health Information Science, University of Victoria, Canada), Pernille Bertelsen (Department of Development and Planning, Virtual Centre for Health Informatics, Aalborg University, Denmark )


For this workshop, I will demonstrate how we can enhance the interaction with the Patient and the Health Center, as well as the Doctor-Patient relationship using GNU Health and Free Software. Simple, yet effective solutions that cover from mobile integration to Patient Digital IDs and e-prescriptions for people that don’t have the technical or academic background.


Abstract

The tendency to design personal ehealth systems for well to do technically literate professionals, rather than average or disadvantaged users (the PLU problem), has been described previously, but is not yet well understood. This interactive workshop will introduce attendees to the PLU problem, expose them to a simulated experience of being a disadvantaged system user, and encourage them to share their experiences of systems which may exclude disadvantaged users. Attendees will also discuss ideas and potential solutions for the design of more inclusive ehealth systems, and identify positive steps which could ameliorate or avoid the problem in the future. Key outputs of the workshop will include a summary of the information provided by attendees, draft criteria for identifying potential PLU-type problems, and an interim list of possible or actual solutions.

Many thanks to MedInfo for this great event, and especially to Thomas Karopka (Chair IMIA OS WG) and Paul Turner (Associate Professor, eHealth Services Research Group, University of Tasmania, Australia) for inviting me to be part of their symposium and workshop. It’s an honor for me to share with you such an important event, and to promote the adoption of Free Software in Public Health.

Looking forward to meeting all of you in Copenhagen !

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

  • Health Information System (Demographics, Epidemiology)
  • Hospital Information System
  • Electronic Medical Record 

GNU Health won the Best Project of Social Benefit from the Free Software Foundation, among other international awards.


GNU Health is an official GNU Package , and is part of GNU Solidario, an NGO that delivers health with free software. GNU Solidario and the United Nations University, International Institute for Global Health have signed an agreement to implement and to train Health professionals GNU Health around the world.


GNU Health was presented at the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Communication Union (ITU) session “ICT for Improving Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health” at the World Summit on the Information Society – WSIS 2013 Forum in Geneva.

Main site : health.gnu.org

GNU Health 2.0 – stable version

22 Monday Apr 2013

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From Luis Falcón:

I’m happy to announce the scheduled release for the next stable version of GNU Health 2.0

We should be able to release it on May 12th, 2013.

The main changes will be :

  • Compatibility with upcoming Tryton 2.8
  • Initial inclusion of Neglected Tropical Diseases series (health_ntd series) starting with Chagas disease (health_ntd_chagas)
  • Bug fixes and enhancements of current modules
  • Packages for Archlinux and Parabola GNU/Linux

We will upload the RC to the community server in 10 days or so from now.

Let’s work in parallel on the documentation and translation !

GNU Health MDG 6 and NTDs

18 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in GNU Health, GNU solidario

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Introduction

The United Nations signed in September 2000 the Millennium Declaration, to fight poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and discrimination against women .

Chaco: El Centro Man...

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) has derived from the Millennium declaration and it has 8 goals. MDG 6 focuses on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.
On the other hand, there is 1 billion (1,000 million) people living with tropical infectious diseases that could represent the “other diseases” part of the MDG 6. This group is named Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).  These are diseases of the poorest, that makes them socially excluded and stigmatized. 
GNU Solidario believes that Free Software is a key factor to accomplish these goals. GNU Health, the Free Health and Hospital Information System will help the health centers, researches, NGOs and professionals and volunteers to eradicate these devastating diseases.
What are GNU Health MDG 6 and GNU Health NTDs ?

health_mdg6 is a GNU Health module that incorporates the Millennium Development Goal # 6, to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases 

GNU Health will incorporate the specific functionality to help prevent, diagnose, treat and control each of these devastating diseases.
The health_mdg6 module will maintain the multi-disciplinary approach, providing tools to the social worker, nurse, biochemist, laboratory , pharmacist, epidemiologist and physician, integrating the health professional into the community.
So, for example, upon a new possible case of active Tuberculosis (TB), GNU Health will execute the following actions : Detect and notify the contacts of the patient; Start profilaxis treatment on contacts ; Create a new laboratory order for culture and antibiogram and check for the strain resistance ; verify the DOTS (Direct Observed Treatment Short) on the patient ; Check the stock for the PPD test-kits and do a forecast for the existing anti-tuberculosis medicaments; Check for availability of special rooms if there is need for hospitalization; inform the health authorities of a new case; start a new prevention campaign.
The health_ntd will cover the Neglected Tropical Diseases.
What diseases will cover GNU Health MDG 6 and NTD?

health_mdg6. The diseases stated in first part the WHO MDG 6: 
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Malaria
  • Tuberculosis
health_ntds. Neglected Tropical diseases that affect 1 billion (1000 million) people. Diseases are dynamic by nature, so the list can include emerging diseases at any time, but the initial list will contain :

  • Guinea Worm
  • Lymphatic Filariasis
  • Blinding Trachoma
  • Sleeping Sickness
  • Leprosy
  • Soil Transmitted-Helminths
  • Schistosomiasis
  • River Blindness
  • Chagas
  • Visceral Leishmaniasis
  • Dengue
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)