GNU Solidario is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that was founded by

Luis Falcón Luis Falcón Martín is a Spanish computer scientist, physician and free software activist who founded GNU Solidario, an organization focused in education and health. Martín is known for in social medicine and as the author of GNU Health, a hea ...

on 23 November 2009 to promote the use of

Free Software Free software or libre software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any adapted versions. Free software is a matter of liberty, ...

in the context of

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

and education. Currently it is focused on

Social Medicine The field of social medicine seeks to implement social care through # understanding how social and economic conditions impact health, disease and the practice of medicine and # fostering conditions in which this understanding can lead to a health ...

and

Animal Rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

History

GNU Solidario's origins are in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

, with Free Software projects in the area of education in rural schools. The first mission was on 6 October 2006, in schools from

Santiago del Estero Santiago del Estero (, Spanish for ''Saint-James-Upon-The-Lagoon'') is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 252,192 inhabitants, () making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a su ...

. The project at that time was called ''Linux Solidario''. That event led

to focus on

social medicine The field of social medicine seeks to implement social care through # understanding how social and economic conditions impact health, disease and the practice of medicine and # fostering conditions in which this understanding can lead to a health ...

and public health, and work with professionals and governments to improve the lives of the underprivileged. In October 2009, the organization was officially registered in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, where it currently holds its headquarters. In 2010, GNU Solidario celebrates the first edition of the International Workshop on eHealth in Emerging Economies - IWEEE -. Since then, IWEEE has been a meeting point for multilateral and humanitarian organizations such as

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF; pronounced ), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is a humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation (NGO) or charity of French origin known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases. ...

, War Child,

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

University or

Caritas Internationalis Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. Collectively and individually, their missions are to work to build a bet ...

, as well as for universities around the world.

Current projects and activities

International Workshop on eHealth in Emerging Economies

IWEEE, the International Workshop on e-Health in Emerging Economies, is an annual conference for Free Software in the fields of Healthcare and Social Medicine. The workshop promotes Free Software as an effective and ethical solution to provide universality and equity in healthcare. The International Workshop on e-Health in Emerging Economies is a stand-alone conference, that sometimes is held in the context of other events. In 2010 and 2011, the event was biannual. Since 2012, it has become an annual conference.

GNUHealthCon

GNUHealthCon is an annual 2-day conference that brings together enthusiasts and developers of the Free/Libre Health & Hospital Information System, holding thematic sessions and free workshops.

Social Medicine Awards

Richard Stallman receiving Social Medicine Award from GNU Solidario

The Social Medicine awards ceremony is part of GNUHealthCon, organized by GNU Solidario. The awards recognize the role of individuals and organizations committed to improving the lives of the underprivileged. There are three categories: Individual, Organization and GNU Health implementation. The Social Medicine Awards GNU Health Social Medicine Awards

GNU Health

GNU Health is a

free software Free software or libre software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any adapted versions. Free software is a matter of liberty, ...

hospital information system A hospital information system (HIS) is an element of health informatics that focuses mainly on the administrational needs of hospitals. In many implementations, a HIS is a comprehensive, integrated information system designed to manage all the as ...

with strong focus on

and

. Its functionality includes management of

electronic health record An electronic health record (EHR) is the systematized collection of patient and population electronically stored health information in a digital format. These records can be shared across different health care settings. Records are shared throu ...

s and

laboratory information management system A laboratory information management system (LIMS), sometimes referred to as a laboratory information system (LIS) or laboratory management system (LMS), is a software-based solution with features that support a modern laboratory's operations. K ...

functionality. GNU Health has been adopted by the

United Nations University The (UNU) is the think tank and academic arm of the United Nations. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, with diplomatic status as a UN institution, its mission is to help resolve global issues related to human development and welfare th ...

. In 2011, it became a

GNU GNU () is an extensive collection of free software Free software or libre software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any ...

official package. It was awarded Best Project of Social Benefit from the

Free Software Foundation The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Richard Stallman on October 4, 1985, to support the free software movement, with the organization's preference for software being distributed under copyleft ("s ...

LibrePlanet LibrePlanet (literally, "Free Planet") is a community project created and supported by the Free Software Foundation. Its objective is the promotion of free software around the world by bringing every year an international conference to local comm ...

2012, at

University of Massachusetts Boston The University of Massachusetts Boston (stylized as UMass Boston) is a public research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus University of Massac ...

External links

International Workshop on eHealth in Emerging EconomiesGNU Health ConGNU Health

References

{{Reflist, 30em Non-profit organisations based in Spain Organizations established in 2009 2009 establishments in Spain GNU Project