Unicamp has just launched a platform to facilitate the exchange and donation of materials, equipment, inputs and whatever else is needed, with the aim of helping healthcare institutions and organizations across the country in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Solidarity continues to be the motto of the new website, which was adapted from a platform launched in May 2019, in a partnership between Unicamp, RNP (National Education and Research Network) and Capes (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel). Conceived by doctor and professor José Antônio Rocha Gontijo, and developed by the Information Technology (IT) team at the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM) – which holds the intellectual property of the system –, the original design is aimed exclusively at the academic and scientific community, in particular the exchange of inputs between laboratories and researchers, who are facing increasing difficulties due to the reduction in investments in science and technology in the country.
Now, this system has gained a new version to help resolve demands specifically related to fighting the coronavirus: the idea is to help not only health institutions, but also communities, companies, entities and other civil society organizations that have something to request or to offer at this time of health crisis. “The motivation was the need for us to expand the donation possibilities, in every way. The difficulties are not only in supporting hospitals, but also in supporting research activities, as the difficulties remain the same [as when the platform was launched], or are even worse at this moment”, explains Gontijo.
Named Solidarity to the Covid-19 pandemic task force, the new website is a type of electronic wall in which any person or organization can, in a simple and accessible way, offer or request donations of any nature. According to FCM's IT director, Cleusa Regina Milani, who leads the team responsible for development, one of the main adaptations made aimed to facilitate users' access to the platform, which will be done through a Google or Facebook account, without the need additional registration. “The website only makes publications (requests or donation offers), and provides e-mails, so that people can get in touch and make the exchange”, she explains.
Unlike the original research-oriented platform, in the new version donation requests and offers are not organized by categories or areas, that is, there are no restrictions regarding the type of item that will be requested or offered. “Both hospital items and supplies can be advertised, as well as anything else that people need or donate,” says Cleusa. Although there is no interference from the responsible team in the content, publications made on the platform can be moderated by the users themselves, in order to avoid posts that do not meet the objectives of the initiative.
Engagement required
After almost a year of operation, in the opinion of those responsible, the original platform has still been little used by the academic and scientific community. For Cleusa Milani, it is necessary to expand the dissemination of this tool, so that people know about its existence and are curious about accessing it. “As at this moment everyone is more focused on this issue [of the coronavirus], more open to helping and wanting to collaborate, so I think it is an opportune moment to increase this participation. At least there you have another communication and publicity channel to make this type of donation”, she believes. Gontijo argues that the partnership with RNP, responsible for supporting users and promoting the platform nationwide, can be even more strategic from now on.
“I hope this new platform can be useful at this serious time. The situation in hospitals is very difficult, as the expenditure is enormous, not only on supplies, but also on personnel. So my expectation is that it can help minimize all these problems, in the sense of being able to offer better medical and health care for the entire population in this very difficult context”, concludes Gontijo.
Discover the new donation platform: http://solidariedade.unicamp.br/coronavirus
