Hi everyone, I must apologise for the lapse in time following the flurry of discussion during the month of November 2005 just before the WSIS in Tunis on the ressurection of OSHCA. I was prompted by Joseph to see if I had "recovered" from the trip. There was so much to do as follow-up to such a big event, plus the end of year chores.
I re-read the postings on the subject and also re-visited the OSHCA.org web-site to see how relevant were the objectives that were set for OSHCA especially in the current context of the open source movement towards mainstream computing. Even Richard Stallman acknowledged that the GPL needs a revision, which its currently undergoing. We're also painfully aware of the lack of responsibility and accountability in dealing with open source applications that can result in the compromise of patient safety and outcomes. Recent postings here on "dangerous" questions, OSS collections etc. also brought out possible alternatives to OSHCA, but also highlight the absence of an independant global platform to champion, promote, co-ordinate, collaborate etc open source applications in health care. There were also expressions of concerns of various aspects and dimensions, right from the democratic manner of how OSHCA is to be formed to whether we should have a new mailing list... Though I volunteered to move it forward, I also realised that its going to be a very difficult job in order to accommodate all views. As a start, I think its important to review what OSHCA is as stated in its current web-site http://www.oshca.org: "The Open Source Health Care Alliance is a collaborative forum to promote and facilitate open source software in human and veterinary healthcare." "OSHCA is a community of people in the health care and informatics industries that promotes the open source software concept in health care." "OSHCA helps policy makers, commercial enterprises, and users take advantage of the benefits of open source." There is also the Charter found here http://www.oshca.org/charter.html that needs to be reviewed. Here are bits and pieces of statements/questions that were expressed/asked recently... that will help to formulate the Vision, Mission Statements for OSHCA. I would like to get this done with discussions on this mailing list before moving on to listing out the next steps to form the protem committee and get OSHCA incorporated. We also need to decide where OSHCA should be incorporated - developed or developing country and then zoom into deciding the specific country. ... Is anything happening at present with OSHCA? .... OSHCA is in hibernation or dead .... In the UK, the British Computer Society has just set up an Open Source Specialist Group (ossg.bcs.org.uk) .... believe that there is still an international void. I had thought that IMIA might pick it up but ...... ....there is a void and that there is a possibility of a ressurection of OSHCA. There is no record in the trademark office. > 11/5/2005 7:40 PM > I would be happy to transfer the registration for OSHCA.ORG and to > see OSHCA restarted. > > When OSHCA was formed, there was concern that some governmental > organisations could not participate if the organisation was too > formal, so it was chartered as a "working group" and my company > agreed to hold the IP rights on behalf of the group. Subsequently, it > was overwealmingly decided that the group needed to have a > democratic structure in order to grow. Some form of incorporation, > probably as a non-profit, is necessary for OSHCA to hold it's own IP > rights. I would very much like to see that happen so I can pass > control to something durable. > > If this is what you are proposing, then I'm 100% behind you. > -Brian (Bray) ...I would recommend that you consider partnering with the Open Source Working Group of the AMIA. ...I would prefer to see OSHCA independent from AMIA. ....It would be another thing to have OSHCA as international umbrella organisation of various national organisations ...that OSHCA remain an independent "umbrella" organization of various national organisations and, of course, of Open Source Software projectsin the healthcare domain. ...The vision for OSHCA when it was first formed was that of a "meeting place" and a community of communities. This vision is still very valid IMHO, and the need even greater now that there is some real progress and much more credibility for open source in health. ....and collecting together information on them and sharing them as well as sharing approaches would be a fitting activity for OSCHA. .....one of the goals for OSHCA is being a catalyst for change. ...Funding would be nice, but tends to take us into having projects... rather than beeing a meeting of people's projects. ...OSHCA should be an independent organisation / meta-organisation in my view - a forum as others have said. ...There are politics/issues within AMIA that prevent a WG from being all inclusive. However, there are mechanisms that are provided to allow for collaboration such as with the IMIA - OSWG........ My apologies for this "lengthy" e-mail. Just to make up for the lapse .... :) I still have the list of volunteers for the protem committee. In between someone requested for a short write-up of each as well.... Rgds, Molly Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/openhealth/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
