Building Digital Public Goods: Journey with the Open Healthcare Network
Tags: opensource, development, community
Published: 2023-09-03 18:49:53

I am Bodhi, a full-stack developer and digital nomad hailing from Kerala, India. From a young age, I was captivated by the magic of the web. I fondly remember tinkering with my school website and feeling a sense of instant gratification from building on the web. This curiosity led me to take up part-time projects developing web apps, even as I pursued a degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering in college. Although I dabbled in electronics and built a few contraptions, I soon realized that my true passion lay in product development.

My journey took a significant turn during college when I co-founded a student startup. Although we faced multiple failures, this experience was transformative. It instilled in me the confidence and drive to build and ship open products, and it taught me valuable lessons on refining and deploying ideas. Today, I am deeply involved in multiple open-source projects and open learning initiatives. I work full-time with [Pupilfirst](https://www.pupilfirst.org/), developing an open learning management system, and I contribute to programs that teach coding to students across the country.

One project that holds a special place in my heart is the 
[The Open Healthcare Network](https://ohc.network/) (previously CoronaSafe.Network), which aims to improve the availability of healthcare resources across multiple states in India. I have had the privilege of maintaining this project and witnessing its positive impact firsthand.

## The Open Healthcare Network


![The Open Healthcare Network](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/z6o4r8upj344c25ejz9m.png)

The journey of the Open Healthcare Network is a testament to the power of community collaboration and open-source development for public good. What began as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved into a comprehensive hospital management system operational across 11 Indian states, directly benefiting over 186.8 million people. The system, seamlessly integrated across 581 hospitals, has facilitated medical attention to 362,349 patients and enabled over half a million consultations via 1,884 dedicated health workers.

Leading the charge was a global team of 300+ open-source enthusiasts worldwide. I had the honor of directing this talented team and mentoring interns.

The efforts were recognized by the United Nations, which verified our product as a Digital Public Good (DPGA). This acknowledgment was not only a proud moment for our team but also a validation of our commitment to creating digital public goods that have a meaningful impact on society.

![The Open Healthcare Network War Room](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/703zakr1am8sxwy63wob.jpg)

As we navigated the height of the pandemic, we focused on critical system scalability and charted a strategic roadmap for expansion into specialized remote critical care monitoring. Throughout this journey, we remained steadfast in promoting the ethos of open-source development tailored for the public good. 

Open Healthcare Network has now expanded its feature sets and is being utilized by multiple states to run teleICU for critical care. This innovation connects medical colleges with district hospitals around the area, enabling experts in the medical colleges to see the patients in each bed via high-resolution cameras. Additionally, they can look at device readings digitally as it's all connected into the system using open-source tooling.

{% embed https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z69cNgOii6Y %}

This development represents a significant advancement in remote healthcare services, facilitating real-time monitoring and consultation for patients in critical care, even from a distance. By leveraging the power of open-source tools and digital connectivity, we are able to bridge the gap between urban medical colleges and district hospitals, thereby ensuring that expertise is shared, and patients receive the best possible care, regardless of their location.

{% embed https://www.youtube.com/embed/vSu67-C8EnU %}

Reflecting on my journey, I have witnessed the transformative power of community firsthand. From the early days of tinkering with my school website, to working on large-scale projects like the Open Healthcare Network, the support and collaboration of the community have been instrumental in shaping my growth as a developer and in the success of the projects I have been a part of.

I encourage you all to actively engage in and contribute to the communities you are a part of. Whether it is by sharing your knowledge, mentoring others, or contributing to open-source projects, every effort counts. Together, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of millions.

[Github Repo](https://github.com/coronasafe)