Health Care
Peru: Kausay Wasi Health Clinic, Bringing Connectivity to a Rural Clinic
 A small health care clinic, located in a rural village named Coya a few hours from Machu Picchu, serves the indigenous population of the “Sacred Valley” of the Incas. Teams of doctors fly in from the United States to volunteer their time and serve residents who would otherwise have no access to health care. It is not uncommon for as many as 500 patients to receive medical attention each week. The clinic, which has been in operation since 2005, has serviced more than 19,000 patients from the area and doctors have conducted more than 600 surgeries. Prior to Qualcomm's involvement, the clinic had no connectivity of any kind. Although fixed line communications had been attempted, the harsh mountainous terrain made wireline connectivity extremely unreliable. During the past two years, Wireless Reach has provided funding to this small but effective medical clinic for laptops, cell phones, related IT equipment and connectivity fees. Now, the clinic and visiting physicians can communicate with colleagues and medical specialists from all over the world in real time. PARTNERS
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SPOTLIGHT
“Teaming up with QUALCOMM and their Wireless Reach program…we now have Internet connectivity, mobile telephony and videoconferencing capability that have allowed us to be better prepared for trips, coordinate needs and begin to have quality follow-up for many of the related issues that are part of the management of cleft problems.” – Thomas W. Albert MD, DMD, Co-founder of FACES Foundation, who brings teams of doctors to the remote Kausay Wasi Health Clinic in Peru |
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Thailand: Phang Nga, Facilitating Health Care and Internet Access via 3G
 The Andaman Sea in the province of Phang Nga in Southern Thailand is characterized by beautiful limestone rock formations jutting out of the sea, some 1,000 feet high. From these formations, the Thai people have built floating villages, creating the habitable islands of Koh Panyee and Koh Yao Yai. Qualcomm, along with its partners: CAT Telecom Public Company Limited; the National Telecommunications Commission of Thailand (NTC); the Ministry of Public Health; the Office of the Non-Formal Education Commission (ONFEC); the Ministry of Education; and Axesstel Inc., launched a Wireless Reach project on the islands to provide EV-DO high-speed wireless services to benefit the medical and educational needs of the villages. Two remote health clinics are now connected to the mainland hospital with telemedicine equipment and high-speed access to the Internet. Health care providers have access to image and illumination systems including: ear, nose and throat scopes; ophthalmoscopes; dermascopes; general examination cameras; digital electronic stethoscopes; electrocardiogram and digital spirometers, along with desktop computers, notebooks and wireless connectivity equipment to communicate medical information between the remote health clinics and the main hospital in Phang Nga. The telemedicine devices go beyond regular diagnostic equipment, and combine network computing and specialized application software to use CAT Telecom's EV-DO network to transmit the data from the clinics, in easy to understand graphs and images, to the doctors located at the mainland hospital. The education initiative involves two libraries that are part of the ONFEC's mobile learning program, providing high-speed Internet access to the people of Phang Nga. The program established TeleCenters in the Tub Pud and Kura Buri public libraries. Qualcomm provided desktop computers and Axesstel provided its D800 EV-DO modems. Four laptop computers equipped with data cards using CAT Telecom's EV-DO network also were provided. PARTNERS
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SPOTLIGHT
"This project is an excellent example of how the government and the private sector can work together to address socioeconomic issues faced by some of our rural communities. One of the key challenges we face in communities like Koh Panyee and Ban Pakkoh is the ability to communicate in real time, specific medical assistance required for these residents. We are therefore delighted that Qualcomm, CAT Telecom and Axesstel have demonstrated their commitment by supplying telemedicine equipment and CDMA2000 services that help to bridge the communications gap." – Dr. Porntep, Siriwanarangsun MD, senior advisor (Public Health), Ministry of Public Health Thailand |
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