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Networks and CD-ROMs Aid Research, Development and Education in Zimbabwe
E-mail has become so important to researchers and students,
that it has been suggested that supplying e-mail to returning
Zimbabweans (as well as competitive salaries) is the way to lure
them away from the foreign countries many currently prefer.1
Increasing numbers of researchers and assistance workers
coming to Zimbabwe from other countries are using e-mail to
find out about the country, starting their cultural adjustment well
before arrival. They also remain in contact with their colleagues
in Zimbabwe after they return.
UZ Medical Library
The University of Zimbabwe's Medical Library serves the
Medical and Nursing Science schools at UZ, as well as clinics in
rural areas and any medical professional in Zimbabwe who
requires its services. The library has, like other African medical
libraries, severe underfunding for new books and periodicals.
While interlibrary loans with other countries has been possible
for some time, one has to know what information is available in
order to ask for it.
The Carnegie Foundation has supplied the library with
computers equipped with CD-ROM drives plus subscriptions to
monthly CD issues of Medline and other databases. Now users
or librarians can perform Boolean searches for keyword
combinations to find suitable articles. In some cases requested
articles are forwarded by fax. In other cases, HEALTHNET
Fidonet e-mail is used to request articles, which may be
returned by fax or e-mail. News feeds, such as AIDS Update
and Mednews, also arrive via e-mail; they are printed out and
archived on disk for searches.
A HEALTHNET/ SatelLife Low Earth Orbit satellite ground
station has been set up and tested in Zimbabwe but is not fully
operational since its capacity and reliability are far lower than
the terrestrial dial-up system now used.
Better Care Via HEALTHNET
To enable better relay of epidemiological data from rural areas
of African countries to the responsible agencies, the Zimbabwe
Ministry of Health has sought to extend telecommunications
capabilities to as many health care providers nationwide as
possible. They have received assistance for their efforts from
donor agencies in the U.S., Canada, Denmark and The
Netherlands. HEALTHNET provides the link via long-distance
calls to Harare. Spreadsheet files with graphics are attached to
messages and transferred to computers at the ministry. This is a
superb way to stay on top of incipient epidemics of cholera,
malaria, etc. and also efficiently allocates scarce resources.
