HINARI program hits major access milestone

["Menefee, Daviess (ELS)" <D.Menefee@elsevier.com>]

Posted on behalf of the WHO in Geneva.

Geneva, May 18, 2007 - HINARI Access to Research Initiative from 
the World Health Organization, today announced the registration 
of the 2500th institution to access free or low cost online 
medical journals and databases. These publicly funded and 
non-profit institutions include universities, medical schools, 
hospitals and research institutes drawn from 109 developing 
countries. Through HINARI, they are able to access 3,750 journals 
online from 100 diverse publishers covering medicine, nursing and 
related health and social sciences.

HINARI facilitates teaching, research and the delivery of health 
care in the developing world while helping researchers in these 
countries to get their work published and made available to a 
wider international audience. Countries with the highest number 
of registered institutions include Viet Nam (153), Nigeria (125), 
Peru (117), Bangladesh (116), Ukraine (114), and Colombia (108). 
Access is free for institutions in countries with a GNP of less 
than $1000 per year while there is a small charge in countries 
with a GNP of $1000-$3000.  The income generated is used for 
local training initiatives.

"2500 institutions in the developing world is a true milestone 
and we're delighted to reach it so soon after the initiative's 
launch," said Barbara Aronson, Program Manager of the HINARI 
initiative at the World Health Organization, "Access to these 
general and specialist medical journals is already making a real 
difference to research and the drive to find local solutions to 
local health issues. A perfect example of this is of a researcher 
in Madagascar using HINARI to conduct a comprehensive study of 
the pharmacological potential of indigenous plants."

"Information isolation is a thing of the past," noted Margaret 
Ngwira of Kamuzu College, the nursing faculty of the University 
of Malawi, "The past months have brought great changes to our 
College with the combined opportunity of HINARI access, and the 
other vital ingredient-fast Internet through [satellite]. The two 
are revolutionizing access to information". Recalling a recent 
instance from Kamazu college, "One young lecturer seeking entry 
into an MSc programmed had to prepare a paper linked to sexually 
transmitted diseases at very short notice. We had an intensive 
training session with HINARI. I am happy to report that she has 
been admitted to Malawi College of Medicine to study for a 
Masters in Public Health."

The HINARI website, <http://www.who.int/hinari> , is the main 
port-of-call for the thousands of librarians, scientists, 
students, medics and healthcare researchers in the world's 
poorest countries who benefit from free access to the leading 
international biomedical peer-reviewed journals and other 
information resources.

About HINARI

HINARI Access to Research Initiative was launched in January 
2002.  The initiative is managed by the World Health Organization 
in partnership with 100 publishers and Yale University Library. 
HINARI provides access to a collection of over 3800 journals and 
other information resources covering medicine, nursing and 
related health and social sciences. HINARI is making an important 
contribution to achievement of the United Nations' Millennium 
Development Goals by providing essential information for life to 
those who need it most.  For more information, visit: 
<http://www.who.int/hinari>

Media Contacts:

Emily Gillingham
<mailto:emily.gillingham@oxon.blackwellpublishing.co
Tel: +44 (0)1865 476425

Shira Tabachnikoff
<mailto:s.tabachnikoff@elsevier.com>
Tel.: +31 (0) 485 2736