Africa

Child mortality in South Africa is rising, gender violence is rife and the HIV infections in the country are estimated to be at 11 % of the population. 11 % of the HIV infected population is estimated to have AIDS. While the National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS and STIs (2007-2011) has been presented, implementing the specifics of the plan prove a challenge to everyone working in the area of HIV and AIDS, and thus the Millennium Development Goals or reduction and reversal of infection. The government of South Africa has identified ICT as a vehicle to address health challenges in the country. This mirrors the call by the WHO for member countries to put strategic plans and partnerships in place to create and sustain ICT in health projects. Mindset Health is an organisation partnered with the South African Department of Health which provides specific and directed HIV and AIDS open content for distance learning to Health Care Professionals (HCPs) on site, on a voluntary, flexible and dynamic platform. Educational and awareness content is also broadcast into public health facilities for the public. This innovative ICT practice has provided a wide range of content in the area of HIV and AIDS to an audience that is distant, works diverse shifts and requires a flexible, open and accessible approach to learning. This paper presents a needs analysis of the HCPs and subsequent evaluations of the innovative technology used in the presentation of this free content as a means of communication and education for both the public and HCPs. This discussion provides a vehicle for providing lessons learnt in content development for open and distance learning