Together We Stand

[ 116 ] environment through the effective and dependable health delivery system that has already been established. Currently, Friendship is setting up a SATMED communica- tion terminal on each of its hospital ships on Jamuna River and in the Bay of Bengal. Making stable and permanent satel- lite connectivity available on moving ships is a particular challenge, as the antennas need to be continually readjusted. For Runa Khan, the executive director of Friendship International, the objective will be to bring in specialized services through e-learning and specialized doctors, to enable quick anal- ysis and diagnosis. Runa said: “The potential which this project carries, illustrates again that the poor cannot afford poor solu- tions. When implementing it we shall have to ensure that we continue to work with same ethics and fundemental values, because a technology jump alone is never a panacea.” Benin Since its foundation in 1966, FFL has developed a close rela- tionship with its partners in Benin. Today, priority is given to projects focusing on vocational education and skills training, support for children suffering from Buruli ulcer and particu- larly public health improvement with an emphasis on women and newborns. Efficiency, local ownership and accountability towards beneficiaries are among FFL’s guiding principles. FFL joined the SATMED project in 2014 to find a solution to the isolation and lack of connection between health centres in the region of Allada-Toffo-Zè in the southern part of Benin. Due to the long distances and difficult access between health-care centres in rural regions, patients are either unable to access the centres on time or cannot get the right treatment. Additionally, most rural areas experience a lack of qualifiedmedical staff. With the e-health platform this link can be established and the staff on site can ask for help or cross-diagnose patients using a guaranteed working satellite connection. People can get the help they need inwhatever medical centre they are able to go to, even during rainy season. FFL is currently working with SES to expand the project to the hospital in Allada. This will enable the hospital to have permanent access to data about neglected tropical diseases which can then be used in clinical trials, academic studies or to exchange data on a specific disease without having to make unnecessarily long trips. The SATMED project has created an effective link connect- ing the different FFL health projects in Benin. Currently, the NGO and its local partner organization, RFFL, are supporting and managing two health programmes in different regions of Benin: a hospital specialized in neglected tropical diseases and a centre for children with disabilities in Allada, and a commu- nity health programme in Allada-Toffo-Zè aiming to improve maternal and child health. The maternity of Ahozonnoudé had been selected as pilot project in the SATMED programme. The telemedical access provided by this approach is of great use in often very difficult-to-reach areas in rural Benin. SATMED creates opportunities, not only in handling sensi- tive patient data but also by rendering help more effective through new stable communication channels. Doctors do not absolutely need to be physically present to diagnose a patient, they may advise medical staff on site with treatment and follow-up through video-conference or voice-over-Inter- net calls. Implementing this technology in one of the world’s poorest regions will spare a lot of lives otherwise lost. Connecting communities with health care An interview with Runa Khan, founder and executive director of Friendship, on the implications of SATMED. How will the SATMED system impact your daily work? The health-care system of Friendship is a three-tier system linking primary care with secondary care between the communities, the Friendship hospitals and the national and international doctors. Due to the remoteness of Friendship’s working areas, data storage, transmission and management, training, consultation and follow- ups are just some of the challenges we encounter daily. Connectivity is therefore an important part of ensuring quality services. SATMED ensures such connectivity in areas otherwise bare of Internet or with minimum service. But it means more than just connectivity, due to the various applications made available on the platform for providing support to high-level care in some of the poorest and remotest areas of the world. How important are new technologies in the work of Friendship? The poor cannot afford poor solutions. Technology in and by itself will rarely provide sustainable solutions for the poor but when it is combined with strongly rooted work for strengthening communities, it is capable of making the work much more effective and scalable. We experience the same leverage effect with our innovative, smartphone-based m-health tool for Friendship’s community health workers, just as we experience it in our education programme where solar and IT technology enable us to introduce secondary education in remote areas. What are the next steps of the SATMED-Friendship partnership? We foresee the biggest and most immediate potential in remote patient consultation and training — not just remote training modules, but also ‘live’ training. But now is only the beginning and it is likely that we do not yet fully anticipate all the implications which SATMED will have for our work. We shall start by consulting with our national and international doctors in order to gradually make the best possible use of this new tool. A stable satellite connection helps people get the help they need in at any medical centre they are able to go to Image: SES T ogether W e S tand