Heal IT Burundi The applicant is Medical Exchange Solutions N.V., a Belgian provider of customised software and services for healthcare. The local partner is Burundi Systems Technology, a supplier of IT and networking solutions. According to the project partners, there is a crucial need for ICT solutions for the health sector in Burundi, its' neighbouring countries and their international donors. The project at hand will improve health care facility management in Burundi by replacing paper based, poorly managed patient administration and medical record keeping with automated medical information systems. This will be done via implementation of Medical Exchange Solutions NV's own software solution 'OpenClinic'. This software enables stakeholders to effectively manage the health sector at all levels. For instance on a macro level it facilitates monitoring domestic and foreign funding. On a micro level it introduces ICT performance measurement in health institutes, creating a Performance Based Financing approach to health financing.Through the establishment of the joint venture 'OpenIT', the partners will act upon the opportunity to develop the Medical ICT market in Burundi. Besides implementing their software solution at clients, an important component of the project will be the provision of services, especially knowledge transfer. To this end, the joint venture will set up a training facility where its own employees, but also the employees of their clients, will be trained in using the software in order to become medical IT experts. The employees of the joint venture will be recruited amongst Burundi's IT graduates. Of this group, 30% will be female. Besides this, OpenIT will assist government and donors in developing health information management policies and it will help to set up a structural data transmission system between local health facilities. Their client target group includes private and public hospitals, public health insurances and health sector policymakers, etc. The price of their product(s) and services will depend on the individual need of their clients.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The partners will offer challenging high-tech jobs and a pleasant working environment and excellent working conditions which include, salaries up until 5 times the minimum wages, 40 hours working week, 21 paid holidays, employment participation, medical coverage and saving plans. Also, OpenIT will offer excellent development opportunities including certified training and competence based human resource policy. It will adopt a zero corruption tolerance policy and will also promote gender equality (the joint venture strives for a balance men/women of at least 30% of each group). Besides this, OpenIT will provide quarterly information sessions for staff, organised around humanitarian and social themes; such as HIV / AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, partner violence, corruption, child labour, education, hygiene, etc.An interesting side effect, that was recorded in Rwanda through implementing the products of Medical Exchange Solutions N.V., is that the income of the hospital increased considerably. This was due to administration improvement (traceability, efficiency and completeness of invoicing), reducing corruption considerably. The extra income that will be generated can help hospitals to cover long-term IT-systems maintenance costs making them more sustainable.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsThe company will employ 22 people, all medium to highly skilled. Two years later a total of 50 people will be employed. Employees will receive 4 to 5 times the local minimum wages. Furthermore, employees will be provided with:- salary savings schemes, option schemes and a holiday fund of 10% of earnings;- medical coverage of 90% of all medical expenses;- certified training, excellent (internal) training facilities, continued education;- personal development and 6-monthly functional evaluation meetings;- competence based human resource system;- 21 paid holidays and bank holidays per year.•	Innovation / Transfer of knowledgeThe main objective of medical IT itself, is knowledge transfer among different hospitals and among different national health sector stakeholders. This will be beneficial to the health centres themselves and to their professional status; in the future it is foreseen that the system can contribute to regional health knowledge transfer. The integrated concept OpenIT is about to offer, is totally new to the country. Besides being beneficial to OpenIT employees, this will also be beneficial to health sector employees who will also receive training in the usage of this new technology; this will further develop their health facilities as well as their own professional status.•	Chain effectsThe main beneficiaries of the project will be the health sector stakeholders as well as the actual patients. By using medical ICT they will be able to manage their work processes more effectively and efficiently. As donors and the government require accountability and transparency, and will move to performance based payment systems in the near future, the implementation of this kind of ICT is vital for health institutions in the country to stay in business.Also, a professional health care institution will be more effective in attracting funding and foreign investments from the international community.•	Position of womenThe managing director of Burundi Systems Technology is a woman who strongly encourages female participation on the labour market. The partners will make sure that at least 30% of all positions will be occupied by women. To establish a company which will provide Burundian health care institutions with modern medical ICT solutions through intensive capacity building and training programmes, in order to help improve the quality of healthcare in Burundi.