Project Outline:

Improving communication between health centre and local community

Location:

El Páramo, Ecuador

Partners since:

2009

SaludCom is a collaboration between Nokia, The Minga Foundation and Foundation Human Nature Ecuador. Its goal is to facilitate communication in the rural region of El Páramo, Ecuador- where the Subcentro de Salud (health center) is located. The focus of the project is to use technology to improve communication between remote communities and the health center, as well as to facilitate the collection of demographic and epidemiological data from the region. The SaludCom project is made possible with financial, technical, and administrative support from the Nokia Corporation. The challenges to collecting sound data in El Páramo are deeply intertwined. For example, difficulties in transportation, lack of infrastructure, and the remote location of communities are linked to communication barriers between the health center and communities, inconsistency in community health worker’s ability to fulfill their responsibilities, inability to collect sound health data, and slow response time to epidemics and emergencies. Community health workers are local individuals who act as liaisons between the health center and their villages. They provide first aid, medical information and other services for injured or sick patients in the area.