U.N., Microsoft open door to medical data in poor countries
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Blog: The United Nations and a group of U.S. organizations work together to bring the latest medical information to health professionals in poor countries free via the Internet.
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PARIS  - Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates signed a co-operation agreement with UNESCO on Wednesday to improve access to computers, the Internet and information technology training in developing countries.
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An &quot;ever-widening&quot; gap between the quality of health care in the world&#39;s richest and poorest countries is happening in part because technological advances made by the pharmaceutical industry need to be applied more to delivery of care, according to a
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NEW YORK  - A combination of environmental and nutritional programs that target the poor can substantially reduce childhood mortality globally, new research suggests.
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Prime Minister Gordon Brown launched an international initiative Wednesday to improve the quality of healthcare in some of the world&#39;s poorest countries.
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Health industry, tech firms, government agencies might collaborate to \
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NEW YORK  - A mobile medical information  company is collecting used personal digital assistants (PDAs)  to send to doctors in Africa, and outfitting the devices with  the latest, up-to-date health information.
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Seven developing countries in Africa and Asia will be the first to take part in a new global health campaign aimed at directing aid more effectively at the basic needs of poor countries, Britain said on Wednesday.
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A system linking the some of the globe's best doctors with the developing world is saving lives.
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Cellphones are now being used to report from the field in Rwanda, enabling health care workers to better track and manage patients.
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HEILIGENDAMM, Germany -- The world's leading industrialized nations yesterday pledged $60 billion to fight AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, mainly in Africa, but human rights groups termed it an insufficient commitment and part of a pattern of unfulfilled promises.
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(InfoWorld) - Many of the world's least-developed countries have made "remarkable progress" towards achieving mobile-phone and Internet connectivity goals set out by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). "The mobile sector in [the least-developed countries] has grown considerably and access to the Internet has also increased," the ITU said. The organization plans to release later today a detailed report on telecommunication and Internet connectivity in the world's poorest countries. The ITU uses the United Nations definition for least-developed countries. To meet this definition, a country must have a per capita GDP (gross domestic product) under $900 and meet criteria for human resources, such as low literacy rates and malnutrition, and economic vulnerability, Twenty-five of the world's 50 least-developed countries have improved their mobile and Internet connectivity in line with goals set out by the ITU. Among the countries that have shown progress towards improving connectivity are Bhutan, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Liberia, and Samoa. In Bhutan, the ITU and the Universal Postal Union have started an e-post project that allows messages sent as e-mail to be delivered as regular mail. The project was implemented using technology and know-how imported from India, ITU said. In addition, the Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity and Promotion donated 200 used computers that were distributed to schools and religious colleges as part of a government plan to make IT part of the curriculum in all schools by 2010. In Rwanda, the ITU and the European Commission are helping the Rwandan government roll out e-government systems. The first phase of the project involved introducing Internet access and visa and passport control systems at the Kigali airport and giving main government offices access to e-mail, ITU said. Down the road, the project aims to equip public institutions with video-conferencing capabilities as well as computerized systems for issuing government documents, such as passports and work permits, it said.
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Technological advances that help drug companies churn out highly profitable prescription medications must also be applied to improving public health care around the globe, a World Health Organization report released Wednesday says.
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A memo from the World Health Organization expressed concern that the growing importance of malaria research by the Gates Foundation could stifle a diversity of views among scientists.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) called on here Tuesday African governments to provide more resources and show political commitment in the fight against maternal and neonatal mortality.
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BRUSSELS, Jun 22 (IPS) - Increases in development aid will not be sufficient  to reach the United Nations targets on improving health in poor  countries, a new European Parliament report has warned.
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Microsoft founder Bill Gates's foundation and the government of Norway yesterday gave grants of more than $1 billion to immunize children in poor countries against common diseases -- a blockbuster philanthropic gesture intended to save hundreds of thousands of lives in Africa and Asia.