Tsunami Survivors

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Tsunami brings telemedicine kiosks to India

     Sydney: The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami wave attack will provide another benefit to India -- telemedicne kiosks. If a report in Australian IT is to be believed, a consortium of 10 countries has come up with a preliminary plan to develop permanent telemedicine systems for developing countries who lack adequate medical infrastructure to counter natural calamities. According to Dr. Pradeep Ray of the University of NSW School of Information Systems, Technology and Management, who is the co- leader of the project, which involves more than 100 researchers and doctors worldwide, India is among the four countries that have been shortlisted for this purpose -- the other three being Bhutan, Mozambique and Bolivia. "We are developing the infrastructure for such kiosks. The architecture makes use of cellular mobile technologies and/or satellite terminals," Dr. Ray was quoted as saying. The 10 countries involved in the project are the United States, Britain, Australia, Japan, Korea, India, Indonesia, Bhutan, Greece and France. The kiosks, which will cost between 30,000 and 40,000 dollars, will include laptops, satellite terminals and telemedicine equipment to allow doctors to remotely assess patients and give medical advice. For starters, tsunami refugee camps in the western Indonesian province of Banda Aceh are being tragetted. The service will be connected through the central hospital in Aceh. It will be possible for doctors in other countries to assess patients in Aceh. The multimillion-dollar project is a joint initiative of Technologie sans Frontiers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the International Telecommunication Union, which oversees telecommunications development in developing countries for the UN.
- Mar 8, 2005

Writers rustle 'novel' idea to help tsunami victims (Go To Top)

     London: The literary community has come up with a novel idea to help those affected by the tsunami. According to The BBC, 16 writers including Nick Hornby, Stephen King and Margaret Atwood have come up with a new work titled New Beginnings that features the first chapters of their forthcoming books. The book, priced at 5 pounds, will be published in English and German. "I hope New Beginnings will be a must-buy for any book lover. To glimpse the opening chapter of your favourite author's new work before it is published will be an unprecedented experience for their fans," project director Jonny Geller was quoted as saying. "By spending only #5, you will have a great book by the world's favourite authors, participate in a dynamic global publishing event and give real aid to people rebuilding their lives thousands of miles away," he added. Other contributors include Paulo Coelho, J M Coetzee, Stephen King,Ian McEwan and Vikram Seth.
- Mar 4, 2005

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