When will Papua New Guinea embrace Open Source?

Open Source Software remains a viable option for IT&C deployments in Papua New Guinea. Whilst many developing countries around the world continue to adopt Open Source Software (OSS) on economical grounds – Papua New Guinea continues to roll out Proprietary solutions like there’s no tomorrow and without any consideration given to the sustainability factor.

I have tried in earnest and with passion for the last two and half years to sell, market and convince folks that OSS makes good business sense. Although we have achieved much in just under three years at Goroka General Hospital – there remains many challenges in the years ahead (eg: Electronic Patient Records System)

The quality and workmanship that is now emerging from OSS Communities around the globe is absolutely awesome. Although my voice was heard loud and clear in some circles – the shakers, the movers and the folks with the cheque books have all but ignored this message.

Over the past two years I have become convinced that an Open Source approach to Software and Applications development is the way of the future. Software for Profit will slowly start to fade into the background as OSS inches its way into the Government and Corporate sectors. OSS has to a degree become pervasive but is yet to “rock” the Fortune 500′s.

I am now adamant that Open Source is a particularly attractive option for software solutions in Papua New Guinea – considering the “green field” nature of many institutions when it comes to IT&C deployments and of course the low budgets – particularly in the Government, Health and Education sectors.

The following article was published a few weeks ago by Australian IT and focuses on why Health generally would be better of by adopting Open Source.

Hospitals need open source in IT

Karen Dearne | October 28, 2009

OPEN source software offers one cure for clinical system implementation woes, as authorities struggle to find solutions that meet all medical requirements, a leading health informatics researcher says.

“Some of the greatest efficiency gains in the health sector will come from open source software, rather than packages supplied by large corporations,” said Professor Jon Patrick of the University of Sydney’s School of Information Technologies. “It’s not in industry’s long-term interests to come up with efficient and interoperable systems.

“And a long history of project failures involving large clinical information systems (CIS) shows that importing readymade software isn’t the answer. For one thing, they don’t cater to the administrative differences in the Australian health system.”

(Continue reading)…

Here’s some Open Source white papers and related resources you might be interested in and are available for download from this site:

• An Analysis of OSS in Developing Countries (403.77 KB)
• An Analysis of the Adoption of OSS in Developing Countries (397.83 KB)
• An Analysis of the Adoption of OSS in the Solomon Islands (547.93 KB)
• An Open Source Software (OSS) Initiative in a PNG Hospital (423.61 KB)
• The Use of Open Standards in Open Source Software (140.76 KB)
• Implementing an Open Source HIS in Rural Argentina (91.37 KB)
• OSS CMS Market Share Report (4.11 MB)
• OSS in the Enterprise: Fulfilling the Promise (1.15 MB)
• Hospitals need open source in IT (105.81 KB)
• Open Source and Cloud Computing: On-Demand, Innovative IT on a massive scale (730.47 KB)
• The Adoption of Open Source Software by Singaporean Companies (4.21 MB)
• Producing Open Source Software: How to Run a Successful Free Software Project (829.85 KB)
• A Guide to Open Source Software for Australian Government Agencies (951.67 KB)