Open Source and eHealth

IntraHealth: A Catalyst for Public Health and Open Source in Africa

IntraHealth mobilizes local talent to create sustainable and accessible health care in developing countries. As part of this mission, IntraHealth has been collaborating with African governments and private institutions to design and apply open source solutions to strengthen their ability to use health information for strategic health policy and planning. Working to connect and support new and on-going technology efforts, the IntraHealth OPEN initiative focuses on global alliances, expanded access to infrastructure, and supports local innovation, technological fluency and the development of new skills and tools that are cost-efficient and technically viable at the country level.

Why Open Source?

Open source technology is ideally suited for application in low-resource environments, being collaborative, transparent and free of licensing and upgrade fees. It encourages independent, affordable and creative solutions to the biggest health and infrastructure problems in the developing world, from shortages of doctors and nurses, to access to maternal and child health care, to distribution of the medications needed to fight and prevent infectious diseases. Using Web-based interfaces, mobile phones and PDAs, open source systems can provide far-reaching and innovative tools to support increased efficiency, productivity and performance of health services and information to meet the needs of families and communities across Africa.

Most importantly, with targeted training and support, open source solutions can enable African developers and health professionals to create, customize and grow systems themselves based on their needs and realities.

eHealth and Innovation

IntraHealth is a leader in the field of global health and eHealth focusing on health systems infrastructure, health worker support and training and technological fluency for health workers.  Whether it is data collection undertaken by local community health workers using mobile phones, local development of health information systems to increase efficiency and data driven decision making or broader social networking, education and media platforms to support health workers, IntraHealth is committed to using technology through local engagement to help solve some of the greatest health crises of the day.  Read more about our eHealth Initiatives and about  why we think Global Health and Open Source in Africa is so important.