ABSTRACT
This chapter presents probable failures in the transfer of primary-care computer technology. It shows that the transfer of information technology to the third world health sector must be seen as a teleonomic, rather than a ideological process. When computer technology is introduced in the primary health care system, it is almost certain that there will be a variety of applications. Public health officials plan and implement policies to encourage the rational choice of microcomputer technology by line workers. Primary health care is organized into several subsystems in most developing countries, and each subsystem has its own vehicles for technology transfer and diffusion. In all developing countries, there are large scale formal organizations that provide primary health care. The modern or Western health professions, even when transplanted to the societies of Africa, Asia and the Middle East are accompanied by their institutional framework—associations, licensing, training colleges, and codes of professional conduct.
