E-drug: We have much to be thankful for -- You - Happy New Year!
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Dear Friends and Colleagues:
This time of year provides us with an opportunity to reflect on what
has been and dream about what is to come. You have all been essential
in our millennial year here at SATELLIFE, and for this I would like
to thank you. We have kept the lights on, the doors open and the in-
formation flowing with your contributions of news, shared stories and
incredible accomplishments.
We have, together with SATELLIFE/HealthNet Kenya, successfully
launched the Regional Information Technology Training Centre and
trained over 100 health care workers to use the tools of electronic
information exchange. HealthNet Kenya has taken on the task of
operating the RITTC into the future. New partnerships like that with
the
WorldSpace Foundation and our journal publishers have lead to a
successful trial of the new digital radio system. This will enable us
to
send large volumes of information, including complete journal
articles with graphics to receivers all over Africa and may enable
information sites to download, store and retrieve years worth of
critical
information. Our new partnership with Volunteers in Technical
Assistance means that we can return to the use of low earth orbit
satellites to bring affordable communications to the most remote
areas.
New, smaller, cheaper and more user friendly ground stations are in
production and the first of these should be in the field within the
month.
Our discussions groups - AFRO-NETS, ProCARRE, ProCOR and E-Drug -
with all its sub-groups - are flourishing. This year in response to
readers' requests, we launched a second electronic journal HealthNet
News AIDS as a companion to our regular publication of HealthNet
News. The number of people receiving HealthNet News has doubled in
the last twelve months.
All of this would not be possible with out the incredible
contributions of our moderators: Syed Rixanuddin Ahmad, Wilbert
Bannenberg,
Jaoquin Barnoya, Carinne Bruneton, Manju Chatani, Tim France, Alberto
Figueras, Tam Garland, Hildbrand Haak, Samer Jabbour, Richard Laing,
Roberto Lopez Linares, Max Luna, Kirsten Myhr, Gerard Nau, Dieter
Neuvians, Jerome Sclafer, Albert Shaw, Mushin Sheriff, Beverley Snell,
and Lessette Turner. These individuals give inordinate amounts of
time to review all the messages, ensure the quality of the
discussions, select relevant material and keep each you connected.
For this
we are immensely grateful.
We thank our medical editor Dr. Ramnick Xavier for the time and
energy he puts into each issue of HealthNet News and HealthNet News
AIDS. His continuing dedication to our mission has strengthened us
all.
We thank all of the systems operators and support people in the field
who ensure that local e-mail continues to flow through the HealthNet
sites on the ground.
And, in this extraordinary year we thank the volunteers who make up
the SATELLIFE Board of Directors and we thank our lawyers - who
continue to provide us with the best legal counsel, pro bono, in our
efforts to retain our name and the mark "HealthNet".
We are excited about the coming year -- the challenges remain but the
promise is great. Together we can achieve great things.
Please accept our best wishes for the holidays and the New Year. We
raise a glass to toast friends and colleagues we have lost this year
and rededicate ourselves in their memory.
And a second toast - here's to each of you - may you have great
personal and professional success in the coming year!
Sincerely,
Holly Ladd
Executive Director
SATELLIFE
mailto:hladd@usa.healthnet.org
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