DIGITAL SHARING IN
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Dr Y Ramsamy
FC Path (Microbiology) (SA)
MMed (Microbiology)
National Health Laboratory Services
South Africa
Connect,Contact and Help
•
Information technology is rapidly changing economic and social activities.
•
Provides opportunities and challenges for making progress with accelerated growth and
poverty reduction in Africa.
•
Possible for students to study and carry out research using the electronic networks to
reach remote universities and libraries.
•
Information and telecommunication innovations present opportunities for "leapfrog"
strategies accelerate the development of the continent.
.
Problems and Possible Solutions in
Africa
•
Educational problems are related to inadequate funding and inefficient use of available
resources.
•
Information technology offers a wide range of low-cost solutions.
•
Distance education in Africa - defined to include print, broadcasting, and limited face-toface education – has been used to pursue educational needs.
•
The main advantages
student bodies.
•
Information technology has the potential to connect African educational institutions
continent-wide, and link them with international universities, hence, facilitating research
specifically laboratory research and the exchange of ideas.
economical, flexibility, and suitability for widely scattered
The ZAMBIAN experience
•
Zambia, 2nd country in Southern Africa to achieve full Internet connectivity and has made
valuable educational use of the Internet.
•
1991 - University of Zambia medical library obtained e-mail connectivity with the
University of Florida medical library.
•
Possible for university departments to upgrade research capability; share ideas regarding
laboratory practices, obtain relatively cheap access to information; and, in doing so
improve the quality of overall laboratory services and essentially translating to better
patient outcomes.
•
Improvement in the teaching safe laboratory practices and graduate students' research
projects and assignments.
•
Research has been improved by accessing research information and publications
available in the richly endowed data banks of developed countries at relatively low cost.
•
Connectivity to the Internet
other researchers.
•
It also provided an efficient means for graduate students to consult with their academic
supervisors in Zambia and abroad.
•
Additionally, internet connectivity became a major source of income with the system
becoming self-financing within a year.
induced research collaboration between Zambian and
The AVU is a satellite-based distance education project initiated by the World Bank in 1995.
•The AVU offers an example of the power of modern information technologies to increase
access to desperately needed educational resources in Africa.
•Objectives of AVU include : education and training of world-class scientists, technicians,
researchers, engineers, business managers, health care providers, and other professionals
needed to support economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
•This type of digital sharing also offers training and seminars for motivated students without
the necessary qualifications to meet university entrance requirements and electronic library
services.
Closer to home...
•
South Africa is more fortunate than most African countries
to less fortunate populations.
•
Certain areas of expertise compared to other African countries.
•
Collaboration with developed countries via digital sharing to assist other SSA countries
with regard to Health Care and Diagnostics.
•
Provides information to health-care providers and medical staff enabling them to make
decisions regarding patient care.
able to offer assistance
Enhancement health administration and management
through the provision of medical information systems
•
(i) offer simple, efficient, and cost-effective solutions to urgent healthcare problems facing
the SSA countries.
•
(ii) develop an international network for resource sharing digital satellite and
computer - based academic resources (The Global Health Network).
•
(ii) serve students and health care providers to provide educational resources such as
updated laboratory procedures that may otherwise be unavailable.
•
(iv) Provide academic seminars.
A Healthier and Happier
digital sharing
with