ABSTRACT
In 2002, the Italian Ministry of Health began a project to support Italian hospitals around the world. The project’s vision was of a new kind of international health cooperation that was able to keep results locally, for use by health providers who are committed to improving the health status of the population. The hospitals included those with Italian ownership, Italian management or Italian physicians and health staff, and also those managed or owned by Catholic religious orders. The referring doctor uses the client software to generate an email message containing clinical case data, or to access a videoconsultation if necessary. Global support to health personnel includes the provision of an e-learning service oriented to the needs of doctors and health staff abroad. In response to requests for new equipment coming from doctors working abroad, the Secretariat produced a web-based inventory for health equipment that was being donated.
