The Ripple Effect - ICASIT's
Worldwide Assistance
Taking the time to teach
and train a few people and then witness
the effect on others and the economy
is essential to the International Center
for Applied Studies in Information Technology
(ICASIT), directed by SPP Professor Steve
Ruth.
“Low in unit cost—high in
yield,” is how Ruth describes the
center’s international projects.
For more than a decade, grants from organizations
such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
and the Soros Foundation have helped
ICASIT fund and establish IT
projects in
almost two dozen developing nations.
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Several
villages in Nepal where ICASIT
initially helped teachers establish
and use the Internet have shared
their most recent experiences
with ICASIT. With the insight
and resourcefulness of the participants
and ICASIT, the project has grown
to include healthcare, paper-making,
and additional computer training
and maintenance. What all of
these have in common are the
support of ICASIT and the ability
to train people who can then
return to their village to train
others.
The
telemedicine projects, supported
by ICASIT, are in the vicinity
of the Anapurna Mountains. With
the involvement of volunteer
visits from American doctors
and other specialists, the projects
have resulted in very good Internet
connectivity for this isolated
region.
In
a report provided to ICASIT in
March 2007, the on-site project
manager in Nepal describes some
of the success stories of the
telemedicine program pilot project
established in three villages
(Nangi, Ramche, and Tikot) in
the Myagdi district. The report
states that when healthcare workers
need advice on a specific problem,
they are now able to call a doctor
in the city hospital. Through
audio and video conferencing
they can discuss medical treatment
options. Also, the doctor is
able to monitor a case from a
wireless network camera. |
According
to the report, since June 2006 when
the telemedicine program was
established, people received telemedicine
services ranging from prenatal healthcare
to severe medical problems. The report
describes the most dramatic success story
of an almost fatally ill patient who
was treated successfully by local health
workers with a doctor’s guidance
during audio conferencing.
Now
the villagers see a brighter
future and are proposing to increase
the initial project. They hope
to organize training programs
for the village health care workers
to have occasional “refresher
courses” from the city
doctors. This would likely require
better and more conferencing
equipment. In addition, they
are working on a project to develop
software to provide more readily
available data to doctors and
hospitals.
This
project has encouraged collaboration
and resourcefulness. Students
from Kathmandu Engineering College
and doctors from Kathmandu Model
Hospital have offered to assist
with the development of the newly
needed software. These people
are not only interested in helping
themselves, but also realize
the way to create the biggest
ripple with their knowledge and
resources is to organize training
programs for health workers in
other rural health centers and
replicate what has worked for
them. ICASIT’s initial
investment will have a very high
yield. |
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“The process of how these projects
originate almost always involves the
same three requirements,” says
Ruth. “It is necessary for there
to be a strong commitment at the overseas
site to deliver the project goals; careful
and sustained collaboration with U.S.
sponsors, including foundations, educational
institutions, and ICASIT; and a willingness
to add new opportunities as they appear.
The essential ingredient is getting the
highest possible return for funds deployed.” Ruth
adds, “Even if the project is in
a faraway place, everyone needs to understand
the importance of getting the highest
possible yield on the investment—and
I think ICASIT has been able to do that
all over the world.”
To
learn more about the telemedicine,
paper-making, and computer training
projects,
please visit the report on
the ICASIT web site.
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