Back to Ubuntu Medical, for a short while…

First off, let me say that we were blown away with the response to what was initially just a little idea – a dream to do something to uplift technology infrastructure in the South African industry that needs it the most.

Thank you for all the responses, comments and advice.

Now comes the tricky part. What to do with all this information? Well, thankfully we’ve met a couple of keen individuals who might be able to push this project in some kind of direction – and we’ll be chatting with them over the next couple of months.

A contact in the South African medical administration (ie. Government) would be helpful!? Nothing happens in South Africa if it doesn't go through official channels. It's a project killer - so we'd prefer to meet people who can have those conversations first!

For everyone’s benefit, including my own, here’s a summary of related topics/sites/projects that people have been kind enough to post. I’ve had a look at all of them, and commented where appropriate.


GNUMed
This is an already developed (ver 0.2.3) medical system. The package seems to be built more towards practice management (which obviously entails elements of patient management – a feature we stressed was critical in the South African context). They are careful to say:

“GNUmed is not currently intended for hospital IT (Information Technology)”



But, it seems like GNUMed does support our Proudly South African operating system of choice - Ubuntu – Debian releases available here.

Here’s what I’d like to know – would GNUMed be interested in putting together a slightly friendlier interface, and seeing if the product could be adapted to a internet-networked hospital environment? If so, post a comment!


Ndiyo
Ndiyo is a project based around providing computing power to many users cheaply and efficiently. Their project provides “ultra-thin” clients available to multiple users. Need to do some more research into the offering, but this UK based NGO (it seems) might offer a potential solution to the infrastructure issues SA hospitals suffer.

It certainly sounds more effective than getting a first world donation of aging equipment that would have to be maintained on a per-machine basis?


Linux Medical News
A collection of links pointing readers to what’s going on with Linux and medical applications. I couldn’t find many examples of patient management software currently being developed – but the site seems to be more of an aggregator than anything else. Will keep an eye on it nonetheless.


Linux for Clinics
Now, THIS looked like the jackpot. Linux distribution / software / tools specifically intended for a clinic environment – however, the forums don't seem to be overly active since last year. Is this a common problem with Open Source projects? It’s not people losing interest – it’s people unable to stay dedicated to a time-consuming project? I hope I’m wrong.


Seems like they are using a portion of the Ubuntu logo for their own – but a comment by Wouter suggested they might have moved off Ubuntu to another distribution. Shall register and see!


Debian Med
Debian, as far as I can gather, is what Ubuntu Linux is based on – therefore the tools and projects listed at this site would work perfectly. Overriding concern still stands. Linux is tricky for non-techies – and having to install multiple packages which may or may not talk to each other sounds like a support nightmare.

How to get around that issue? I’m not sure…


There it is for a start. Some forums to join, some people to email. Keep subscribed - and we'll let you know if things get going!

All Scrubbed Up Reviewed by DomKop!

Domkop, an oddly titled techy-looking reviewer of South Africa's Blogs has done us the justice of a fair review. Love it. Read the review here.

Cyanide & Happiness: Bullet Poisoning

Har Har. Their site here.

Tequila Medication

Found on Youtube. In South Africa, they should rename this CASTLE QUART MEDICATION. Responsible for 50% of admissions at any hospital in South Africa. Excess consumption results in mate hitting you over the head with one.

Har. Har. Anyway.

Christmas Grand Rounds...

In case you haven't seen it yet... Christmas Grand Rounds are a great selection of med-on-the-web. Check it out here.

Excerpt from Medical News and Commentary

Bloggers are renowned for their abilities to comment on the news (often, in pajamas) but on a few memorable occasions, bloggers can report news, too. Such is the case with Dr. Steven Palter of Doc in the Machine, who announced his award-winning endometrial diagnosis technology on his blog. It's part of a series Dr. Palter has written, on the radical transformation of surgery.

Mighty GruntDoc, probably the most consistent contributor to Grand Rounds and current favorite to reach Four-Time Host status first, submits this analysis of a case where law and medicine collided in the ED.

The blogger On The Wards digs deeper into an intriguing new finding on obesity -- are certain bacteria responsible for making you fat?

A new blogger on the scene, Sandy Szwarc, whose blog Junk Food Science argues from the perpective of enjoying food and accepting body shapes, pokes holes in recent reporting on the obesity epidemic.

It's getting cold outside -- and outdoor enthusiasts are paying the price. Healthline writer Dr. P.S. Auerbach provides a timely primer on hypothermia.

What if our insurance companies could provide us with "Nutrition Facts"-style info on basic surgeries and diseases? Henry Stern of InsureBlog interviewed the Chief Innovation Officer at Blue Cross Minenesota, to learn about this new initiative in health care transparency.

Please read the full post - it's a lot more in-depth.

"Jozi - H" Puts South African Spin on Medical Dramas

Thanks to Champs for this info.

Reuters, UK
17/12/2006

The Canadian-South African co-production follows the same format as primetime U.S. dramas like "ER,'' with breakneck editing, punchy dialogue and overlapping story lines that play out over several episodes.

But it also deals with South Africa's specific problems.

The country has some of the world's highest levels of violent crime, a crushing AIDS epidemic as well as millions of people suffering diseases associated with poverty and need: its busy emergency rooms bear witness to these scourges.

"Jozi-H'' draws inspiration from two of Johannesburg's most pressured trauma wards -- Johannesburg General and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in the sprawling Soweto township.

Finally, someone's going to talk about it. Yes! I just hope it really is a CO-production - or would get some otherworldy views creeping in. Funny, but I seem to remember SA Doc getting consulted in varsity over some kind of potential TV Show. Wonder if this is it?



You can check out the official website here. It's even on IMDB. Is it just me, or are those some ex-Soapie stars? Hmmm.

We're back...

Sorry for the long break in posts - but even bloggers gotta take a holiday sometime. We're back - and goal one is to start going through the Ubuntu posts, comments and suggestions. I'm going to be joining some of the recommended forums and having a look where this idea goes. More info as it becomes available.

In case anyone was wondering, we were here:



It's a little paradise called Tyolumnqa in the Eastern Cape. Thanks to the Faul family for having us!