As part of the Amal Tech initiative, Earthlink will be sponsoring the first eHealth project in Iraq and presenting it to the National Cancer Hospital.
The charity project aims to provide a management system that complies with international standards to transform cancer patients’ files into lossless, and non-perishable electronic data.

Unlike their paper counterparts, these files will not halt, obstruct treatment, or endanger the lives of patients. The electronic system manages, stores and arranges files electronically. This process shall facilitate medical decision making, and data transferring between hospital departments. Using an internal network linking all departments.

Earthlink contribution to the project

Ahmed Shaker Al-Saadi, the Commercial Advisor at EarthLink, said: “The internal network at the hospital took only two weeks to complete. And our engineers carried it out after they had met all the requirements. They provided the equipment, tools, and cables. We selected those tools. And the cause is they were safer and faster.
“EarthLink initiated a series of charity projects and this project is part of it. It’s part of the social responsibility that we feel towards our country. We are seeking help through a series of charitable campaigns like the Orphan Care Project.”

Al-Saadi added, “In our charity programs, we target different groups within the community to provide help. We highlight these categories to encourage individuals and the government to take the same action. The aim of the charitable hospital’s management project is to change the service reality in the hospital. And enhancing patient confidence. Adopting modern technology like eHealth will achieve those aims. And it shall ensure that patients receive the appropriate treatment. Doctors will receive data about each patient including the date of doses given to them based on technology. This will serve as a starting point for other similar projects that will implement the technology in all hospitals in Iraq, as it is in developed countries.

Dose book for Al Amal Hospital

Ahmed Subhi, the person who came up with the Amal Tech concept said: “Previously, medical staff used paper books to manually collect and record patient information. The previous doses’ data was recorded with the dates of the next doses, along with the radiation. This data can get damaged or lost.  The patients’ lives could be endangered. Providing an electronic solution will archive and save the information by depending on the personal identity of each patient. The Hospital staff shall have an easy-to-use database that can be accessed at any time. And they can follow the patient’s condition at a glance and continue the appropriate treatment.”

What are the eHealth project attempts?

Sobhi pointed out that “the project represents an attempt to develop the reality of Iraqi institutions. We will be training young volunteers to use the system properly. And our project will be open and completely free. And it won’t be exclusive to anyone. Other people will be able to develop it in the future.”

Sobhi added “The Ministry of Health and Al Amal Hospital approved the voluntary project. Earthlink joined us as an official sponsor. They supported us by providing technical experts who visited the hospital to assess its needs. They draw up a plan of action and provide internal to the hospital, to connect the network to all facilities and parts.
“I thank Earthlink, for all their help, for the first integrated hospital management project ( eHealth) completed within two weeks, and voluntarily. I hope we can implement the project in the rest of Iraq’s hospitals.”

What is EarthLink’s vision of the project?

EarthLink’s Commercial Advisor said:” We aspire to continuous development. And delivering technology to the highest quality plus expanding the business to other sectors. Our work is including technology, applications, electricity, eHealth, and many other fields. And this must include the charity programs as well, because EarthLink’s vision toward Amal Tech is to optimize and develop, so that every Iraqi citizen has access to a health-conscious system from birth to death, including his health history throughout his life, and the system must be centralized and unified between all hospitals in Iraq, under the supervision of the Iraqi Ministry of Health. And we’kk be linking the data of each family member to each other.

At Earthlink, we will participate in the data entry phase of the electronic program. And provide technical engineers to repair faults if necessary. The project seeks to get rid of paper. We realize that no country in the world has ever been able to achieve this goal. We seek to achieve it in Iraq in the future.”