Internet Connectivity for MEDITA

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Improving the ability to prevent and treat disease is fundamentally dependent on the collection, analysis and access to scientific information, by health care professionals in research, clinical care and public health. Health care delivery in a developing country can be strengthened tremendously by simply improving access to information. Establishing publicly available Internet, through Internet Connectivity for MedITA (ICM), will help Nigerian health institutions gain greater access to scientific and clinical information, by integrating Internet service and a range of training opportunities relevant to Nigerian biomedical professionals, into the fabric of existing collaborative initiatives in research, education, care delivery and public health. This project aims to: 1) install Internet connection in five Nigerian research institutions and teaching hospitals; 2) establish a portal to enhance the electronic connectivity for the MedITA and ICBG programs; 3) provide an electronic gateway to the Internet related training for biomedical scientists and health care personnel in Africa; 4) build infrastructure and capacity in participating institutions. This proposal leverages the resources of Med-ITA, a program developed to assist Sub-Saharan African countries to achieve improvements in access to scientific and clinical information and ICBG, an integrated program for discovering biologically active plants for drug development and biodiversity conservation in West and Central Africa. The final outcome of this project will be to build the capacity of Nigerian health professionals ability to treat and prevent disease.