CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS (Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam)

DEVELOPERS/PROGRAMMERS of HEALTH APPLICATIONS

Conference-Workshop - Moving the FOSS Agenda for Health: Setting the Framework for Interoperability

Venue: Federal Hotel, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Date:  May 8-11, 2007

[In conjunction with the OPEN SOURCE HEALTH CARE ALLIANCE (OSHCA) CONFERENCE 2007]

 
Who Should Attend:

Developers (FOSS or non-FOSS) willing to enhance their skills in FOSS health applications and implementation of interoperability.

Conference-Workshop Overview:

The International Open Source Network (IOSN) and InWEnt Capacity Building International-Germany, are inviting developers in the health sector to participate in a conference-workshop on FOSS health application development. The event is organized and managed by the Open Source Health Care Alliance ( www.oshca.org). IOSN and the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through InWEnt Germany are sponsoring the conference-workshop.

This four-day conference-workshop will consist of an intensive training in Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) applications in healthcare, its updates and the use of FOSS technologies. It is aimed particularly at participants from developing countries of the Asia-Pacific region ( Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam). The target audience, in addition to the FOSS in Healthcare Community, will include interested persons from Ministries of Health and Private Health Care Facilities from this region.

The conference-workshop agenda will also include presentations and discussions on a variety of issues focusing on interoperability and data exchange. Major concerns are affordability and developing human capacity. The promotion, adoption and the use of FOSS applications will be discussed.

Conference-workshop participants will be invited to participate in future collaborative projects to be jointly organized by IOSN and OSHCA.

Conference-workshop Objectives:

1.  Share and review current FOSS applications and technologies in healthcare

2.  Conceptualize and define role of OSCHA in managing collaborative FOSS services 

3.  Explore the role of open standards in facilitating interoperable health information communication and determine standards to be used in future projects

4.  Promoting open source for health care applications, particularly to IT and healthcare communities in Asia-Pacific region

5.  Promoting the advantages of using FOSS applications to managers of healthcare facilities in public and private sectors in the Asia-Pacific region

6.  Train new developers from Asia on FOSS concepts and health data interoperability

7.  Creation of collaborative projects for the creation of FOSS for health applications among participants

The conference-workshop will be held concurrently with the IOSN-sponsored Open Source Health Care Alliance conference where a global network of FOSS developers in health will be in attendance. Intensification of the regional collaboration will allow new FOSS developers to attend the conference and interact with this global network of experts.  Public-private partnerships can be encouraged through the interaction of ASEAN SMEs/FOSS and European SME/FOSS health developers in attendance.

The conference will delve on the application of FOSS for health while the training conference-workshop is intended for participants who would like to learn more about health application development, and how to comply with international standards for health information interoperability.

Application:

Interested developers are invited to apply for participation by sending the attached application form to: asean3(AT)iosn(DOT)net .

Application deadline is April 10, 2007 .

Participants are selected according to the following criteria:

•   Work experience in a health environment for at least two years
•   Experience administering a Linux PC
•   Good command of English, including technical terms used in ICT
•   Residency in one of the target countries [Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam]
•   Ability to facilitate the adoption of FOSS based health applications in their organizations

Application Form:

To apply, please provide us with the following information:

1) Personal Details

• Name:
• Gender:
• Nationality:
• Country where you live and work now:
• Affiliation/organization:
• Email:
• Address:
• Mobile phone number (or any contact number) and emergency contact number:

2) Please describe your current technical expertise and ability. What kind of projects and initiatives have you worked on? Can you provide examples (samples of work done, URLs, etc) ?

3) What is your experience in developing applications for health? Can you provide examples (samples of work done, URLs, etc)?

4) Why are you interested in attending "Moving the FOSS Agenda for Health"? What do you hope to learn?

5) Are you planning to facilitate the application of FOSS based health applications in your organization? How?

6) One of the objectives of "Moving the FOSS Agenda for Health" is the creation of collaborative FOSS projects for health applications. Do you have an idea for such a project and how to implement it?

Fees and subsidies:

There is no participation fee and accommodation will be provided free of charge.

Participants are expected to cover travel costs by themselves. However, if you are unable to cover the travel costs yourself, we might be able to pay a subsidy. In case you need a travel subsidy, please explain your reasons and the amount you would need.

Tentative Programme (more detailed programme available at www.oshca.org):

Pre-conference:      7 May 2007

Registration:            3pm - 8pm

Welcome Reception /Dinner - Poolside:            8pm

Day 1                  8 - May 2007

Morning - Presentation of FOSS applications in Healthcare - updates

Afternoon - Workshop on technologies in health software

OSHCA Dinner (Chinese) and Cultural Show

Day 2 -                 9 May 2007

Morning: Papers on Issues on FOSS in Healthcare

Afternoon: Workshop on Issues in FOSS in Healthcare

On your own/Application Demos, Discussions etc

Day 3 -                 10 May 2007

Morning: Papers on role of collaborative knowledge services and its applications

Afternoon: Workshop on open standards, interoperability and data exchange

Dinner and Informal Programme  

Day 4 -                 11 May 2007

Morning: Foss concepts & Health data interoperability (concurrent session - Training)

Morning: OSHCA - Role in a Global Health Agenda for Sustainable Development

OSHCA AGM

Afternoon: Foss concepts & Health data interoperability (concurrent session - Training)

Afternoon: Workshop: Getting OSHCA organised

Conference-Workshop Venue

The conference will be held at the Federal Hotel located along Jalan Bukit Bintang, right in the heart of the Kuala Lumpur's major business and shopping districts. Location map can be found here .  The Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is only 1 hour or 70km away by taxi, coach or car via the expressway.   Malaysia has tropical climate with warm weather all year round. Temperatures in the lowlands range from 21ºC (70ºF) to 32ºC (90ºF). The highlands are cooler, where temperatures range between 15°C (59° F) to 25°C (77°F).  The unit of currency is Malaysian Ringgit indicated as RM or MYR. USD1 is roughly equivalent to RM3.50.  Foreign currency can be converted at banks and money changers.  Voltage is 220 - 240 volts AC at 50 cycles per second.  Standard 3-pin square plugs and sockets.

Funders and Implementers

German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

The  BMZ develops the guidelines and the fundamental concepts on which German development policy is based. It lays down the long-term strategies for cooperation with the various actors involved, and defines the rules by which these are translated into practice. Official development assistance (ODA) embraces all technical and financial cooperation projects which are agreed on in contracts entered into with the governments of partner countries. The BMZ  commissions "implementing organisations" (such as GTZ, KfW Development Bank, and InWEnt) to realise these projects.  URL:  http://www.bmz.de/en/index.html

InWEnt    

InWEnt Capacity Building International, Germany is synonymous with human resources and organisational development in international cooperation. Through its it@inwent programmes, InWEnt helps multiplying partners in Africa, Asia and the Middle East to provide advanced knowledge in ICTs. The key objectives of the programmes are to strengthen IT sectors in various regions of the world, foster key innovations in ICTs for development and use ICTs as enabling tools for poverty reduction. Within its it@foss project, InWEnt supports the development and application of local innovative software solutions and business models based on FOSS in the ASEAN region.  URL:  http://www.inwent.org/

International Open Source Network (IOSN)   

IOSN is a United Nations Develpment Programme (UNDP) Centre of Excellence in Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) for the Asia-Pacific region.  It was established by UNDP Asia Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP) in 2002 through the support of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada. Through a virtual secretariat - and now a network of sub-regional centres, IOSN South Asia (based in India), IOSN Pacific Islands Countries (Fiji), and IOSN ASEAN+3 (Philippines), it shapes its activities around FOSS technologies and applications; awareness and advocacy; and capacity building initiatives.

IOSN ASEAN+3 sub-regional centre for the Southeast Asian countries is based at the University of Philippines Manila. The geographical mandate of IOSN ASEAN+3 encompasses Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan and Korea. IOSN ASEAN+3 is tasked specifically to facilitate and network FOSS advocates, experts, and developers in these 13 countries to foster the adoption of FOSS. The vision is to have developing countries in these countries achieve rapid and sustained economic and social development with the utilisation of affordable yet effective FOSS ICT solutions to bridge the digital divide.  URL:  http://www.iosn.net/

Open Source Health Care Alliance (OSHCA)  

OSHCA is a non-profit organisation that provides the collaborative platform and forum to promote and facilitate Free/Open Source Software in Health Care. OSHCA's membership comprises a community of people, civil societies and professional bodies in health care and informatics industries that promotes the Free/Open Source Software Concepts in Health Care. OSHCA helps policy makers, commercial enterprises, and users take advantage of the benefits of Free/Open Source Software.  URL:  http://oshca.org/