Intel's Skoool software brings study materials to healthcare workers in developing countries

When we consider Intel's contributions to developing nations, it's hard not to hone in on the 5 million-plus Classmate PCs it's shipped over the past four years. This time, at least, Intel is leaving the hardware part of the equation to the Lenovos and HPs of the world and focusing on the software instead. The company just announced the Skoool Healthcare Education platform, a collection of online and offline educational materials designed to help healthcare workers in developing countries better treat women and children, tackling malnutrition, vaccination, communicable diseases and childbirth safety. To be clear, Intel isn't getting into the medical content business -- it didn't write these resources but instead culled them from various third-party sources. The idea is that the company will provide the platform to governments and healthcare workers for free, forgoing what might otherwise be an opportunity to collect licensing fees. (It'll be up to local governments to work with companies like Dell to secure low-cost PCs to run the software.) For now, Intel's launching the program in Sri Lanka, where it already has a working history with the President and Minister of Health, but a rep tells us the outfit hopes to expand the program to sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Central Eastern Europe and parts of Asia, reaching 1 million healthcare workers by the end of 2015.

[Image courtesy of Intel]

Connecting a World of Opportunity through the '1Mx15' Health Program

New Health Education and Learning Program to enable technology accessibility to one million healthcare workers in developing countries by 2015

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
- Introduces Intel's 1Mx15 Health Program which will bring technology training to 1 million healthcare workers in developing countries by the end of 2015
- Includes the Intel Skoool™ Healthcare Education Platforms that provides anytime
anywhere multimedia content delivery and an assessment platform
- Sri Lanka will be the first country to take part in Intel's 1MX15 Health Program and adopt the Intel Skoool™ Healthcare Education Platform

New York, Sept. 23, 2011 – Intel® announced the 1Mx15 Health Program which will bring ICT training to one million healthcare workers in developing countries by the end of 2015. The program will enable healthcare workers with technology, education tools and 21st century ICT skills to help accelerate progress toward better health primarily for women and children. In collaboration with governments, private industry, development communities and academia the program will establish various country initiatives to increase the availability, affordability and usage of computers, and broadband.

As part of this program, Intel created The Intel Skoool™ Healthcare Education Platform that provides an anytime anywhere multi-media content delivery and assessment platform. The platform is designed to help the need for health education and capacity building of the healthcare workforce in developing countries. It will have an open access license with no charge.

Sri Lanka will be the first country to deploy the Intel skoool™ Healthcare Education
Platform designed for the educational needs of healthcare workers and students in their country.

"Sri Lanka has taken some unique steps that other countries could emulate," said the government of Sri Lanka. "Some of these projects have already commenced at grassroots level through collaborations with industry partners such as Intel."

John Davies, Intel Vice President of the World Ahead Program said, "We are very
excited to support the UN Nation's Every Woman, Every Child Initiative and believe that our 1Mx15 Health Program and the Intel Skoool™ Healthcare Education Platform will help governments address the training needs of their healthcare workforce. We believe a well-trained healthcare workforce will enable better access to quality healthcare for women and children."

About World Ahead
The Intel World Ahead Program promotes access to technology to the next billion people that helps enrich their lives and stimulate economic opportunity. Millions of people each year are getting access to helpful technology, high-speed connectivity, education and healthcare improvements, and digital content that helps them achieve sustainable social and economic gains. Key programs focus on increasing access to technologies best suited for local needs: connections to the world via high-speed Internet technologies; education that prepares youth for the future; localized Internet content and services to improve lives; and healthcare improvements via technology.

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