Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
3. Different cultures have different codes, norms and rituals for hospitality, the
technology must accept them. Callon (
1991
) argues that if the cultures of the
host and guest are too far apart, mediators play a crucial role.
4. The technology has a right to visit but not to stay (the right to say yes or no to
technology).
5. If the technology is perceived as hostile, the host will treat it as an enemy: com-
munication across languages and cultural modes could lead to misunderstandings.
The ambiguity of the guest can exacerbate this Ciborra (
2002
: 113).
Are these features present in a successful post-confl ict large-scale technology
adoption? Is hope a feature of this success?
5
History of Telemedicine Centre of Kosovo (TCK)
The fi rst phase of Telemedicine Centre of Kosovo (TCK) was funded by the
European Agency for Reconstruction and was opened in 2002. The centre was
located on the fi fth fl oor of the emergency building of Pristina University Clinical
Centre. The second phase of the centre was funded by the Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State. This was inaugurated in 2007
and consisted of regional centres around Kosovo; in Mitrovica, Peja, Prizren, Gjilan
and Gjakova; and later a main family centre in Skenderaj which link into the main
centre in Pristina. Plans to expand the project to other parts of the Balkans have
been realised, with the opening of 14 centres in neighbouring Albania. There have
also been successful expansions into other regions such as Cape Verde in Africa
(IVEH
2013
).
Due to the confl ict many of Kosovo's basic infrastructural, medical and educa-
tional needs had been adversely affected. Doctors may not have been fully aware of
medical issues suffered by a patient, for a variety of reasons: printed medical litera-
ture was out of date and was diffi cult to access for many years due to ethnic segrega-
tion and confl ict in the region. There was no access to the Internet or any online
journals or databases. Doctors had no access to surgery or in-hospital experience
during their training. For many years Kosovan Albanian doctors were excluded
from medical education and practice on ethnic grounds. Hospital access was diffi -
cult for remote patients due to infrastructure collapse.
The Telemedicine Centre of Kosovo (TCK) provided basic but up to date medi-
cal care and education facilities to a severely under-resourced region. Medics could
attend lectures and view surgery live via e-conferencing facility. Access to online
search engines and email was provided by the e-library. Training and access were
provided to gain access to online medical journals. Equipment (called 'MedVizer')
to consult with doctors via online links and to obtain and share patient data was also
available.
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