Smart and Ateneo sign an agreement to further enhance SHINE and make it an open-source platform by 2015. In photo are John Paul Vergara (left), vice president for the Loyola Schools of the Ateneo de Manila University, and Ramon Isberto (right), head of Public Affairs at Smart.
Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has forged an alliance with the Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center (AJWCC) to enhance and make Secured Health Information Network and Exchange (SHINE) an open-source platform next year, allowing users to contribute modules and plug-ins.
Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has forged an alliance with the Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center (AJWCC) to enhance and make Secured Health Information Network and Exchange (SHINE) an open-source platform next year, allowing users to contribute modules and plug-ins.
Launched in 2011 in consultation with the Department of Health (DOH) and various stakeholders, SHINE is the first cloud-based electronic medical record and e-referral system in the country, readily deployable in any area with Internet coverage.
A multi-awarded mHealth platform here and abroad, SHINE enables health facilities and professionals to create an electronic medical record, send electronic referrals to other health facilities, generate reports, and send SMS reminders to patients.
“By making SHINE a community-driven platform, we hope to make it more user-friendly and flexible to address the specific healthcare needs of different communities,” said Ramon Isberto, head of Public Affairs at Smart.
Smart is also tapping partner-universities under the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP), as well as developers in the Smart Developers Network (DevNet) to contribute modules and plug-ins to the SHINE open-source platform.
“Our vision for SHINE is to create not only a community of users but also a community of developers who want to help on improving healthcare delivery in the country,” said AJWCC Executive Director Dr. Reena Estuar.
In collaboration with Ateneo, SHINE 2.0 will be aligned to the Philippines eHealth Strategic Framework and Plan 2013-2017 of DOH and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). A senior level advisory body composed of representatives from the government, Smart, and Ateneo is also being formed to ensure the system and implementation is aligned with the country’s health policies and programs.
To formalize the partnership, a memorandum of agreement was signed between Smart and AJWCC on March 31. The SHINE Laboratory in Ateneo de Manila University will also be inaugurated during the event.
The role of the SHINE lab is to serve as the center for the further enhancement of SHINE, function as the help desk for users, and make SHINE an open source platform by 2015.
SHINE is part of the mHealth program of Smart, which hopes to transform healthcare delivery in the country by utilizing wireless technologies. In 2012, SHINE has been given the award of merit at the 2nd Galing Likha-Kalusugan Awards and has been recognized as ‘Best Community Telecom Project’ at the 15th Telecom Asia Awards, ‘Best Emerging Market Initiative’ at the 2nd Asia Communication Awards in Singapore, and a finalist for Mobile Health Innovation Category at the Global Mobile Awards in Barcelona, Spain.