Government, industry of India Launch E-Health Projects to Extend Benefits of IntelIntel World Ahead Program

IntelIntel Announces World Ahead Alliance and UNESCO Pact in India

IntelIntel Chairman Launches World Ahead Program in Bangladesh to Extend Digital Inclusion to Millions

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The health projects, starting in Tamil Nadu, a state with a population of 62 million, reflect an extension of the IntelIntel World Ahead Program, a global initiative to provide people in developing countries with the benefits of better, faster access to information and communications technology (ICT).

During his visit to Tindivanam, a town in Tamil Nadu, Barrett participated in the inauguration of a tele-health pilot project at Tindivanam Taluk Hospital, a 100-plus bed facility serving a taluk of more than 210,000 people. The pilot is being driven by Bangalore's Narayana Hrudayalaya hospital and Chennai' Sankara Nethralaya hospital, as well as Indian-based companies Microsense, S.N. Informatics and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

"Applying technology in pioneering ways can help increase access to healthcare and improve quality of care for people everywhere," said Barrett, who also chairs the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development. "We've seen how technology has enhanced people's lives in Baramati, and look forward to seeing this replicated on a larger scale across Tamil Nadu and the rest of the country."

While in Tindivinam, Barrett also visited the St. Philomena Girls' Higher Secondary School for a firsthand look at a children's health monitoring system developed by TCS. This first-of-its-kind project in the state addresses both healthcare and education by installing technology that helps ensure the government-aided school is a safe and healthy place for children.

While in India, Barrett announced the formation of the World Ahead Alliance in India. The alliance pledges to apply technology to advance health, education and rural empowerment. Barrett also announced that IntelIntel India has signed an agreement with the New Delhi affiliate of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to create a partnership focused on advancing IntelIntel's education initiatives.

IntelIntel's World Ahead efforts in India include working with state governments to equip approximately 100 schools with desktop PCs and the IntelIntel-powered Classmate PC, an affordable, full-featured student laptop designed at the IntelIntel's development center in Bangalore. IntelIntel and 15 state governments have also trained more than 730,000 teachers how to apply technology to improve student learning through the Intel® Teach Program.

"This alliance is a perfect example of the industry partnerships emerging in India today," said Barrett, who also chairs the United Nations Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Development. "We hope to initiate other efforts like these that can scale to produce positive outcomes and benefit citizens around the world."

IntelIntel and UNESCO will work jointly in area that includes teacher professional development, developing policies for the innovative use of technology in curriculum and promoting scientific research in higher education.

Marking his fist visit to Bangladesh, Barrett announced one of the most comprehensive deployments to date of the IntelIntel World Ahead Program, a global effort to provide people in developing countries with the benefits of better, faster access to information and communications technology (ICT).

Program elements will be driven largely through a new agreement being forged between IntelIntel and Grameen Solutions, a company founded by Professor Muhammad Yunus to promote economic and social development through ICT and to create affordable technology solutions for ordinary people. Under the terms of the agreement, IntelIntel and Grameen will jointly promote and support digital inclusion projects across Bangladesh to improve education, connectivity and access to technology and localized Internet content and software applications.

"By working together, Grameen and IntelIntel can help Bangladesh make rapid progress in providing its citizens with opportunities for economic and social advancement," said Barrett. "As Professor Yunus has so eloquently stated in the past, these programs are not about giving handouts, but a hand up."

IntelIntel and Grameen will jointly introduce several programs to make it easier for people across Bangladesh to access the vast resources of medical, educational and commercial knowledge on the Internet. Together they will deploy a PC ownership program that will offer low-cost PCs on easy monthly installments and will launch a project to set up telecenters across the country. The telecenters will enable employment opportunities for rural citizens to offer services such as Internet access, photocopying, printing and PC usage for e-government and e-commerce services. The centers will be financed through micro-loans.

IntelIntel has worked with numerous governments in the Middle East to offer their services in providing opportunities toward a better education. In December 2006, Barrett launched the Oseem Pilot Project, which saw the impoverished village of Oseem, on the outskirts of Cairo, transformed into a WIMAX center, allowing both students and teachers alike access to the online world.

During Barrett's visit, IntelIntel executed a pilot for a model 'Digital Village' in Oseem, a rural and remote village on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, to showcase how a complimentary set of cost effective technologies can have great impact on the development and quality of life of these communities. The target is to connect nine schools, one municipal building, one clinic and an e-gov services kiosk. The network was deployed using WiMAX, necessary to provide connectivity and sufficient bandwidth for these applications.

In the Middle East the IntelIntel World Ahead Program integrates and extends IntelIntel's efforts to drive progress in accessibility, connectivity, education and content. In each area IntelIntel is building upon significant past success while extending efforts in the future and integrating the efforts to multiply their progress.

-Ends-

About IntelIntel Corporation
IntelIntel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about IntelIntel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

© Press Release 2007

 

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