One Laptop Per Child as a lifesaver: Way to spread diagnostic photos and other crucial info—and also use e-books to expand the pool of potential med students
Years ago I called for an Electronic Peace Corps (hello, Presidential candidates?), and high on my list were medical apps. Imagine how I felt to read the following item on an OLPC list a few minutes ago from Ed Montgomery:
“For those with questions about the need for this project, (especially critics, naysayers, etc.), I’d like to offer this link to a fantastic, 34 minute video by Dr. Larry Brilliant, who describes the elimination of smallpox (includes photo of the last known case, a small girl in India). Note, during his presentation, (Day 6, I believe), he mentions that because ‘there is no Internet, no computers,’ they had to print 2 million copies of a photograph, in order to search for cases.”
Yes, the OLPC machine can take photos and, obviously, distribute them. While I still see a need for an Electronic Peace Corps, working closely with NGOs such as the Geek Corps, I do know of one way in which OLPC beats the EPC by a mile. And that’s the idea of people in developing countries helping themselves—by coming up with their own solutions to local health problems and other challenges and spreading the word around.
Ideally there could be a whole series of EPCs, some started by developing countries themselves. Meanwhile, by helping to grow the supply of highly literate people in these countries, the OLPC project will help increase the pool of potential medical students.
Also imagine what e-books and multimedia, including mixes of the two, can do for medical education in developing countries. Check out Dr. Karina Descartin’s essay if you haven’t read it already.
Related: Use of the XO in schools in Ethopia and Tanzania (thanks, Francois). Plus First OLPC deployment—in Uruguay—from Ivan Krstic.
Technorati Tags: OLPC,One Laptop Per Child,Peace Corps,Electronic Peace Corps,XO,David Brilliant,David Montgomery
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