OSHCA

The Open Source Health Care Alliance is an international collaboration promoting the development and use of open source software and open access publications in the health care domain.

Membership is open to persons worldwide who are interested in furthering the objects of OSHCA and shall consist of anyone who has accepted the premise of OSHCA’s Vision, Mission Statements and Principles by indicating such acceptance via OSHCA’s Internet Registration process.

OSHCA was first formed in 1999 as an informal organization of interested parties. The organization achieved formal non-profit status in Malaysia on 31 October 2006 under the leadership of Dr. Molly Cheah and a protem committee of industry leaders. The first AGM will be held in 2007 following the OSHCA2007 conference (May 8–11) at the Federal Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Mission

OSHCA defines its mission as

• Promote to policy makers the concept of Free/Open Source Software in Health Care so as to adopt or give equal opportunity to Free/Open Source Solutions.
• Provide leadership role in refining the Free/Open Source Software Concepts as applied to health care to ensure best practices and patient safety are not compromised.
• Make recommendations on the development and use of Health information Standards for data interchange and representation formalisms.
• Provide Guidelines for Quality Control on Free/Open Source Health Care Software development.
• Participate in and support Human Capacity Building, including contributing/participating in project proposals and project management to achieve developing country priorities.
• Enable collaboration of members including, sharing technical knowledge in Free/Open Source Health Care Projects and providing information Resources to Free/Open Source Health Care software developers.
• Promote and help the formation of development consortia for health care related projects, including assisting in finding funding for projects to reach critical mass for a visible and lasting impact on health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
• Use collaboration with strategic organisations with compatible goals as a means of achieving the mission.

External links

• official website