Addis Ababa — Ethiopia will host the World Information Technology Forum in August this year, the Ethiopian Information and Communication Technology Development Agency (EICTDA) announced yesterday.

Speaking at a symposium, EICTDA, Director General Debretsion Gebremichael said the Agency has been facilitating the necessary accommodations and reservations for the participants and has provided up to date information about developments of conference organizations.

The purpose of the regional forum to be held under the theme: ICT for development and prosperity', he said, was to help implement information development strategies and projects in developing countries.

The Director General said the up coming forum is set to take the plan of action adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society's (WSIS) as a step forward by converting policy statements to actual, implementing projects that should help developing countries to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals.

He added that his agency has so far achieved to network eight Universities found in the country, set the plasma TV for High Schools and that, currently, it is working on a new genre of treatment for patients through the net, called Tele-medicine.

Tele medicine is an initiative of Indian President, Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam with an aim to help patients receive the appropriate medical treatment through the internet.

It is a technology whereby patients here are directly diagnosed and obtain subsequent medication from a World class Indian Institute which specializes in the area.

The Agency has already started Tele Medicine at the Black Lion Hospital and in region 4, Nekemt Town as part of the pilot project.

Asked about the average cost needed for a patient to undergo Tele-medicine treatment, the director said the agency will cover the cost he said estmiated at 3000 USD.

The World Information Forum is to be held for the third time and a total estimated cost of 800,000 USD is needed to prepare the forum here, the agency has said.

Various Ministries, Corporations, Agencies and NGOs are expected to sponsor the forum, Debretsion added.