Paraguay, Itaipu Binacional ink agreement to improve medical care, combat crime

Paraguay's ICT ministry Mitic has signed an agreement with the Brazil-Paraguay electric power joint venture Itaipu Binacional to boost connectivity in hospitals and acquire software that helps the country fight money laundering, corruption, tax evasion and drug trafficking.

The agreement will also work to digitally transform public institutions in the interests of efficiency, transparency and better management of public resources.

Paraguay's President Mario Abdo Benítez oversaw the signing of the agreement, which also included the health ministry and money laundering secretariat (Seprelad) as signatories.

The Itaipu Binacional broadband project will bring faster and cheaper broadband services to landlocked Paraguay using existing electric power and fiber optic lines from the hydroelectric Itaipú dam and connecting end users via a direct link to Brazilian and Argentine wholesale providers.

HOSPITAL CONNECTIVITY

One of the projects supported by Itaipu Binacional seeks to improve tele-medicine services to people in remote areas of the country via fast broadband connectivity. Some 30 public hospitals will be connected (one for each of Paraguay's 17 regional departments plus 13 specialized hospitals in the district capital). Some 3.2mn people will benefit.in a first stage with nine hospitals improved, and the remaining 21 in the second stage.

In a third stage, the works will be carried out at the remaining 70 district hospitals in the country.

Key projects will include digitalizing patient records and prescriptions to ensure correct diagnosis, an application for reserving appointments to avoid bottlenecks of patients. Cameras will monitor the severity of outpatients arriving to ensure those in a more serious condition are prioritized.

MONEY LAUNDERING

The project with Seprelad will involve developing software designed for capturing and analyzing large volumes of financial data to assist in investigations into money laundering, corruption, tax evasion and drug trafficking.

The technology would also be used to assist the attorney general, judiciary, customs service, tax office and other public institutions. Serpelad will co-finance the project providing some US$929,137.

PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY

The project also contemplates the gradual digital modernization of public institutions for which Itaipú will provide US$3.3mn in financing.