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Providing 21st Century HealthCare to Remote Regions
Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country in the world, with a climate similar to that of the prairie and western regions of Canada. Of the total population of 2.9 million, approximately 30% are nomadic or semi-nomadic. Most of these people are young (60% of population is under age 30, and 27% are under age 14), and impoverished (32% have incomes under the poverty line). Outside of the capital city, Ulan Bataar, and a few major towns, access to medical care is scarce. Mongolia has 2.8 physicians per 1,000 population – a figure which compares favorably to the global average of 3.1 physicians. However, very few of these physicians practice in rural areas. In these areas, most people still live in the traditional yurts and use camels for transport. There are few roads, and most of those are crude tracks. There are virtually no ambulances, and people with health problems suffer or must endure very long and arduous trips to medical facilities. The low life expectancy and health infant and child mortality in the rural areas reflect the lack of access to medical care in rural areas.
MediCruiser is developing a rural medical service in Mongolia, in conjunction with Cangolia and financial assisted by several Canadian mining companies. Team Cangolia The Mongol Rally is an annual automobile rally from points in Europe to Ulan Bataar in Mongolia. While most participants in the rally are motivated by recreational and travel experiences, the Rally has a primary charitable purpose. All vehicles in the Rally are donated to charitable organizations upon their arrival at the destination in Mongolia. Team Cangolia is a Canadian participant in the Mongol Rally. It started as a father-son journey – a rite of passage as young Calen Beaune prepares to depart from secondary school and his home to enroll in university. Calen and his father Ken Beaune, a Division Manager for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, expect to drive for 5 weeks, ending in the Mongolian capital city, where the vehicle will be transferred to MediCruiser. Team Cangolia will be boarding a plane next July in London, Ontario to fly to London, England to join in the Mongol Rally 2009 – the harrowing drive to Mongolia, through 16 countries and over 16,000 km of roadway – some of the worst in the world – in a challenge of epic proportions. While raising “oodles of money” for Mongolian charities (and others along the route), the Rally is said to be the greatest adventure on earth. For Team Cangolia, it’s just a springboard for bringing 21 Century medicine to people and work sites worldwide. Please go to www.teamcangolia.com for more information. It will offer MediCruiser the vehicle, publicity and initial support in Mongolia to begin operations. By joining Team Cangolia, MediCruiser will be able to “jump start” the Mongolia service by providing an excellent vehicle, fully equipped and onsite to begin providing health care. The Mongol Rally is an excellent starting point to provide the MediCruiser vehicle to Mongolia because of the extensive benefits in popularizing and promoting the service. In return for support of MediCruiser Mongolia, advertising space is available as decals on sides of vehicle, in all video and media reports of the Rally, and in the printed materials and Rally-related promotional items such as T-shirts, caps, etc. While the MediCruiser vehicle will participate in the Rally, the medical equipment and supplies will be Internet blog and video progress This will be done on the website and updated daily. Canadian School Interactive Geography and Culture Programs Real-time video interviews of local people en-route, allowing Canadian high school students to interact with people of different countries by the video-conference system developed by MediCruiser. Set-up in Mongolia Partnership with government health facilities in Mongolia Following arrival in Mongolia, the MediCruiser vehicle will be equipped. Local personnel will be trained in telemedicine and MediCruiser procedures. Quality assurance A quality assurance program will be developed and implemented, meeting the highest standards of medical clinics, including ISO 9001:2000
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shipped separately to Mongolia, avoiding possible problems in the numerous border crossing on the route from Europe.