Post00323 : HEALTH RADIO NETS

Post00323 RE: HEALTH RADIO NETS 26 February 2001 CONTENTS 1. RE: HEALTH RADIO NETS In Technet Post00321, 16 February 2001, Marcia Rock, WB, posted her colleagues request for help on the technical and user issues related to the need for the MOH in East Timor to make the technical decisions for the establishment of a health radio network. In todays posting, Sarah Nancollas, TRANSAID, Pierre Claquin, Carlos Dierolf, UNIVALLE, Jean-Michel Durand, SPC, and John Christie, PNG/HSSP have kindly responded with useful examples, suggestions, discussion, web links, and the offer of a manual. * Sarah also asks about others useful experience in this key area. Comments and additions please: [[email protected]][email protected][/email] or use your reply button ___________________________________________________________________________ Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 From: Sarah Nancollas Subject: Post00321 HEALTH RADIO NETS + JOB To: Technet Moderator Dear Allan, The issue of good communications to support health service delivery keeps coming back time and time again. In Ghana we showed that the installation and use of a good communication system at the health centre and district level reduced vehicle kilometres by 20%. In Malawi, radio communications from health centres to the district hospital have cut average ambulance evacuation times for maternity cases from over six hours to under two hours The bits and pieces that I have gathered over the years are as follows Choice between HF and VHF depends on the network requirements: If you want a national net with all people able to communicate with everyone else over long distances then you should go for an HF system. The capital expenditure is higher (say 10 - 20%). For different times of the day you are likely to need to use different bands for good reception and therefore need multi band equipment and a well communicated procedure for switching bands. Handheld radios are less robust than fixed installations and should not be relied on as the main communication system. We have had much more difficulty keeping vehicle radios operational than static stations. If you want a cluster of facilities to communicate, eg health centres in a district to a district office then you should use VHF. VHF equipment is cheaper to buy in capital terms but is limited in range as it has to operate over a 'line of sight' You therefore need to use repeater stations on high ground. These repeater stations require a power source (solar batteries usually) but are vulnerable to theft/ damage etc and sometimes awkward to get to for maintenance. Most national systems that I have seen go for a mix of equipment with the local clusters operating over VHF and the district/ regional offices using HF. The advances in radio technology now allow the passing of data over such links which can dramatically improve reporting times. Ultimately the choice often tends to rest on the availability of channels for use and the relevant government agency must be approached. Whatever the system, it will only work if there is a clear management system (sounds just like transport!!). Planned preventative maintenance is essential, particularly if solar power is used. Battery maintenance is crucial for the set to continue to operate. Procedures must be put in place for operation, message logs used, a daily roll call of all stations on the net, a system of fault reporting, training for operators, daily and weekly checks etc. If the right skills are locally available then a maintenance contract with a private company to maintain the sets on a regular basis makes sense. As with transport and hospital equipment, these management processes make the difference between a cost effective, efficient system and a non functioning heap of scrap metal. I have often found that the mission hospitals are a source of good local knowledge on the right equipment and maintenance for any given area. It certainly is worth trying to coordinate with others who are considering the implementation of radio systems and agreeing procurement standards This is probably of no help whatsoever - but I'm keen to learn from others experience in this field as it is a key area that I come across all of the time Sarah Nancollas TRANSAID --- From: [[email protected]][email protected][/email] Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 To: Technet Moderator Subject: Re: Post00321 HEALTH RADIO NETS + JOB Allan In reference to health radio, it seems to be that the organisation with outstanding expertise in this matter is Medecins sans Frontieres. They should be contacted in Paris directly Best regards Pierre --- Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 From: Carlos Dierolf To: Technet Moderator Subject: Re: Post00321 HEALTH RADIO NETS + JOB Solar powered short wave radios are definitely the answer. I am not a communications expert, so I can not advise on the best type of radio system, since it depends on topography, distances, etc. The Health Service of the Diocese of Istmina-Tadó ©®stalled a system six or seven years ago, which has worked very well. The systems are installed in the Department of Chocó¬ ©n the northwest of Colombia, south of the border with Panama. This is one of the rainiest regions in the world, with almost constant cloud cover. If it works there, it should work almost any place. Each system has one 48W solar panel, 100 Ah deep cycle lead acid battery, and one or two lamps for night illumination, in addition to the radio. The cost of the solar components was less than half the cost of the radio transmitters themselves. The radio not only serves for routine communications, but enables the local health worker to consult cases with a Doctor when needed. Emergency messages for community members are also transmitted. The lamps are even more popular than the radio, since they enable the health workers to attend night time emergencies and deliveries with good illumination. The batteries were replaced after five years of service in all of the eight sites, as a routine maintenance procedure, but all were still working adequately. One radio was disabled by a nearby lightning strike which also ruined the whole solar system. The lightning hit a large tree approximately 20 meters from the health center. Antennas are routinely disconnected during storms and when the radio is not in use to minimize this type of damage, but even these measures will not offer protection against nearby lightning strikes. Module structures are properly grounded, and the module did not suffer, but ALL electronic components were damaged and had to be replaced (system controller, PV refrigerator controller, and lamp ballasts). Several radios have had to be repaired during this time. Some have had problems because they were used to transmit at frequencies for which their antennas were not tuned. At 100 Watts peak power during transmission, a large portion of this power is returned to the transmitter with an improperly matched antenna, damaging it. Others have had to be repaired because of moisture damage. The area en which they are installed has a very high relative humidity, which at times can condense inside the radios, causing problems with the electronic circuits. This means that it is necessary to plan (and obviously fund) regular servicing and maintenance activities as a part of the whole system. I will be more than glad to help out in any way I can, answering specific questions if necessary. Dierolf Carlos F. Dierolf Associate Professor School of Chemical Engineering - Universidad del Valle Apartado 25360, Cali, Colombia Phone: (+572) 331 2935 Fax: (+572) 339 2335 Home: (+572) 552 2417 --- From: Jean-Michel Durand To: "'Technet Moderator'" Subject: Health radio network Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2001 Hi allan VHF radios are used in many health centers around the world for general health information, help to diagnostic and others. Some are equipped with fax-data capacities through additional equipment and desktop/laptop. This is also the main communication devices for boats, remote islands, etc, etc, etc. In remote pacific islands for example, the only small airports electrical facility is frequently a Transceiver powered by a small 20 watt photovoltaic module ! One of the well known suppliers for such equipment is Codan, Australia/UK, (see link to pdf product data sheet). Units are 12 volts with 0.75amps in reception and 6 amps in transmission, average daily power will be in the range 50-150 wh/day ie a 20 to 50 peakwatt PV module. Codan has supplied such Single Side Band PV powered equipment in many countries around the world. For sustainability, I suggest to use appropriate maintenance free batteries. more info upon request Web link: http://www.codan.com.au/radcom/publications/data_sheets/20004l6.pdf Jean-Michel Jean-Michel Durand Renewable Energy Advisor Pacific Community BP D5 98848 Noumea Cedex New Caledonia Tel : 00 687 26 09 55 Fax : 00 687 26 38 18 [email protected] http://www.spc.int --- From: "Dr. John Christie" To: "Technet Moderator" Subject: Re: Post00321 HEALTH RADIO NETS Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2001 Re Radio assistance request The Health Services Support Program in PNG (AusAID funded)has done substantial work on this issue and PNG is in the process of implementing a Health Services Radio Network, many elements of which have already been completed. The system is based around H.F. radio. We have a substantial report/manual of use which we can send (4.4mb zipped) Dr. John Christie Team Leader HSSP P.O. Box 1182, Waigani, NCD, PNG Tel: PNG 3233127 Fax: PNG 3250640 ____________________________________*______________________________________