Afghanistan |
Kazakhstan
|
Laos | Mauritania
In 1995 the Mauritania Ministry of Health invited PACTEC
to establish a health care radio network to connect its
widely separated medical facilities.
Mauritania's Ministry of Health operates in
all of the 44 departments (provinces) of Mauritania. But
transportation and communications are severely limited in
outlying villages. Outside of the coastal areas there are
few, if any, roads. Medical messages, no matter how urgent,
are sent by hitching a ride on a Land Rover.
Using this method, messages and replies often
require days or even weeks to reach their destination. This
system can delay life-or-death decisions and limits access
to vital medical supplies.
An effective, low-cost, wireless network was
critical to meet the pressing healthcare needs in Mauritania.
After researching the various remote communication options,
the PACTEC team and the Ministry of Health chose two-way
HF radios as the most cost effective means of communication
between medical clinics.
How these radios should be powered was another consideration.
In many areas of the country, electric power is only available
if the facility is equipped with its own portable generator,
burning expensive gasoline or diesel fuel. The sun, however,
is plentiful in the Sahara Desert. Also, solar power is
relatively easy and cost-effective to maintain. This made
solar power the best option for the radio network.
Today, a network of 100 HF radios blanket
parts of the country with a fast and reliable means of communication,
providing more than 250,000 Mauritanians with better health
care. In villages equipped with PACTEC radios, a physician
who needs medicines can call his regional headquarters,
place his order, and find out when the next vehicle will
deliver it.
The PACTEC communications network also helps
health administrators track day-to-day activities, follow
nationwide developments, monitor the progress of diseases
and epidemics, and learn about new methods of treatment.
Another benefit of this project, not directly
related to communications, relates to medical care. Delivery
rooms in hospitals and clinics lack adequate lighting. This
situation is detrimental to the health of women and babies,
especially during nighttime deliveries. To address this
problem, PACTEC has installed fluorescent lights in each
emergency room and maternity facility.
The work of PACTEC in Mauritania is a breakthrough endeavor. Furthermore we have now passed the torch to Mauritanians with the creation of a small business run by Mauritanians that PACTEC trained. The success of the health care communication network is fully in the hands of Mauritanians as PACTEC is now able to step back and help in an advisory capacity.
