Virtual library makes health info more accessible
Those of us working in the media know that information is not always easy to find … and it’s even harder for members of the public. But one purveyor of vital information–that is the health sector–is now making our job much easier.
Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
Today, through the Pan American Health Organization, Belize now has its own virtual health library. The V.H.L. is designed to provide information from local, regional and international sources. At this morning?s launch, Chief executive officer in the Ministry of Health Margaret Ventura, welcome the initiative that for the first time will bring together diverse information at one location.
Margaret Ventura, Executive Officer, Ministry of Health
?What this initiative will do is to provide systematic and easily accessible information across public and private agencies as well as students. The message is a very powerful one. It opens the doors for greater access to health information. It also opens the doors for us in Belize to able for us to produce and provide information. Because we have for the longest while been a great user of information, but not necessarily generating and providing information on the health sector in Belize.?
The systematic and easily accessible information will greatly benefit health practitioners, policy and decision makers, students, parents and individuals.
Dr. Kathleen Israel, PAHO Representative, Belize
?They can access information that will help them to adjusts their own behaviours, and help them to take actions to improve their own personal health.?
?Health providers can benefit. Health managers can benefit in terms of planning and management competencies, and strengthening those, because the information that is available through that will inform their own judgments and managerial decisions.?
V.H.L. Belize will be managed by a national committee. The group comprised of representatives of all concerned institutions has been participating in training sessions in the production, management and use of the heath information. Today Ventura challenged those maintaining the system to ensure that the data they provide for the service is updated and available and that BOTH M.O.H. and PAHO will ensure that the valuable information is available at the click of a button.
Margaret Ventura
?If we started off with one thousand pieces of information, then we should be running up to ten thousand over the years. People must not come there, access information and then find out that oh it is the same information from one, two, three years ago.?
The Belize V.H.L. joins the growing network of internet libraries on health sciences information in Latin America and the Caribbean.
You can access the Belize Virtual Health Library through its website belize.bvsalud.org and Regional Health Library through its website regional.bvsalud.org
