Saturday, 20 February 2010

Smart Mobile (Cambodia) and InSTEDD Deploy Innovative tools for Public Health

via CAAI News Media

2010-02-19 10:52:03 - Today InSTEDD and Smart Mobile announced they have signed an agreement on launching during 2010 a set of innovative services for public health based on Smart Mobile’s wireless network and InSTEDD’s collaboration platform.

The launch is targeted to help the Ministry of Health using mobile phones nationwide to detect disease outbreaks earlier and react in faster and more efficient ways when they appear.

In this regard Mr. Thomas Hundt, CEO of Latelz Co. Ltd. (Smart Mobile) said “Smart Mobile is one of the most advanced mobile operators in Cambodia. With our continuous coverage expansion we have been increasing our presence in provinces and became meanwhile one of the most popular brands nationwide. Smart Mobile is also contributing to the fast development of Cambodia through its Social Responsibility projects. By implementing InSTEDD’s project, we make one more step to improve the society by supporting a more effective health and public safety system for Cambodia.

InSTEDD is a non-profit organization whose mission is to harness the power of technology to improve collaboration for global health and humanitarian action. It was founded and originally funded by Google , and works internationally, with its largest projects currently in SE Asia, a hotbed for disease outbreaks that can spread worldwide.

"Thank you Smart Mobile for providing this exceptional support to GeoChat. And thank you InSTEDD and Google for supporting the work of the Ministry of Health so well." said Dr. Sok Touch, Director of Communicable Disease Control Department, Ministry of Health, of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Now our work together can have a broader impact on the health and safety of all Cambodians.

The agreement allows Cambodians using Smart Mobile network to take advantage of InSTEDD’s systems with free SMS queries, said Dr. Mark Smolinski who heads Google's philanthropic efforts in SE Asia. "The leadership exhibited by Smart Mobile, in partnership with InSTEDD, is a giant step forward in providing affordable options to the Ministry of Health and other government partners in Cambodia. With Smart Mobile's contribution of a free, dedicated phone number for public health emergency communications along with other cost-saving commitments, they are creating a real-time alert and rapid response network that will save lives.

This is the first time in Cambodia a deployment of this kind has happened and sets a precedent for how local communication providers can partner to bring to scale successful mobile solutions with a social impact and with a view to long-term sustainability. Along with Smart Mobile, InSTEDD looks to bring the best of technology to those who help to make local communities stronger, safer, and healthier.

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