NEC And SATELLIFE Provide Critical Internet Training To Health Professionals In Africa

Roye A. Bourke
2000-04-12

Press Release: The new Regional Information Technology Training Centre (RITTC) expressed its thanks for the donation of an LCD unit from NEC Corporation. The unit will make demonstration clearer and learning faster at the Centre, which trains health professionals in the use of basic IT tools. The RITTC is a project of SATELLIFE and HealthNet Kenya.

A dedication ceremony was held today at the new Regional Information Technology Training Centre (RITTC) to commemorate the donation of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) unit by NEC to the Centre. The only one of its kind in Africa, the RITTC was established by SATELLIFE, a non-profit organization in Watertown, Massachusetts USA, and its partner, SATELLIFE HealthNet Kenya, to train health professionals in the use of basic Information Technology tools-e-mail, CD-ROM, and use of the World Wide Web. The Centre was funded in part by a grant from the World Bank. NEC Corporation, a major corporate sponsor of SATELLIFE since 1991, has contributed funding and has also provided computers at reduced rates for the 15 work stations in the Centre.

Participating in the ceremony were Mr. P. Mwangi of NEC in Nairobi, Mr. Eliazar Karan, RITTC Director and Medical Information Officer for HealthNet Kenya and other dignataries. (Please name)
The Centre recruits health workers from five East African countries--Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda and Tanzania to participate in the training. Since the first session last October, nearly 100 doctors, nurses, medical librarians and other health workers have completed the training courses. According to Eliazar Karan, Centre Director, (Insert quote explaining why the RITTC training courses are so essential).

"This gift will greatly enhance the instructor's ability to demonstrate the steps necessary to send an e-mail message, use a CD-ROM or search the Web for a particular site," said Holly Ladd, Executive Director of SATELLIFE. "For a patient whose doctor does not know how to use e-mail in an emergency situation or search the Web for answers to a critical health issue, this training can mean the difference between life and death."

SATELLIFE HealthNet Kenya, acutely aware of the need for training, was still not prepared for the overwhelming response to the Training Centre. "We had to turn down over 400 people for the first session," according to Mr. Karan. "Even with a minimal amount of promotion, requests were received from throughout Africa, as well as Latin America and Asia."

Dr. Leela McCullough, Director of Information Services at SATELLIFE, explains, "We are giving health professionals the ability to use information and communication technology to confront the problems they face every day. The effective use of e-mail alone can dramatically improve their access to relevant information and to other health professionals who are facing similar challenges, both regionally and internationally."

Recently recognized by the United Nations Development Program for its work bringing Internet technologies to the developing world, SATELLIFE has spent the last 10 years building a low-cost communications network that links thousands of health professionals, enabling them to communicate and access critical information that would be otherwise unavailable.

About NEC
NEC Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.l) is a leading provider of Internet solutions, dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of its customers in the key computer, network and electron device fields through its three market-focused in-house companies: NEC Solutions, NEC Networks and NEC Electron Devices. NEC Corporation, with its in-house companies, employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and saw net sales of 4,759 billion Yen (approx. US$40 billion) in fiscal year 1998-1999. For further information, please visit the NEC home page at:
http://www.nec-global.com

Headquartered in Itasca, Illinois USA, NEC Technologies is a leading manufacturer of premium imaging peripherals and other technology products for the North American market. Product lines include MultiSync� CRT and LCD desktop monitors, AccuSync� CRT desktop monitors, MultiSync portable, fixed installation and large venue DLP and LCD projectors, PlasmaSync� plasma display panels, SuperScript� printers, and Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS). NEC Technologies, Inc. is an affiliate of NEC Corporation. To learn more about NEC Technologies, go to http://news.nectech.com or call (877) NEC-INFO.

NEC aims to have a good balance between corporate growth and the enhancement of society. Thus NEC promotes social contribution activities that make the company coexist more closely with society. This is exemplified by its Corporate Philosophy: NEC strives through "C&C" to help advance societies worldwide toward deepened mutual understanding and the fulfillment of human potential. In this case, NEC has supported SATELLIFE through both monetary grants from NEC Corporation and product donation from NEC Technologies, Inc.