The Namibia Project: How APU is Helping Modernize the Country's Medical Records

Written by Regina Ender 

Dr. Daniel Grissom is no stranger to traditional mission trips, doing valuable work serving in schools and soup kitchens, spending time with children, and helping with labor-intensive projects.

But a few years ago on a trip to Namibia, Africa, Dr. Grissom decided he wanted to do a different kind of trip that would utilize his skills as a computer scientist and have a widespread community impact.

Now, for the third consecutive year, Grissom has taken a group of APU computer science majors to Namibia to work toward creating a computerized system that could completely reform the country’s health care system.

“We have a set of skills that not everyone has,” Dr. Grissom said. “Rather than do something that anyone could do, I wanted to do something that only we could do.”

Alongside students from Namibia University of Science and Technology, APU students are designing an Electronic Medical Record system, which is an alternative to the country’s current paper-based medical record system.

Currently, residents in Namibia are tasked with carrying their own health care passport, which contains a lifetime of health records. These are easy to lose and wear out over time, Grissom said, and Namibians are out of luck if they leave their passport at home and need it while traveling. In extreme cases, some people have died because they received conflicting prescriptions when they did not have their passport with them. A computerized system would ensure every person’s data is readily available at any time.

On a national level, the new system would also help track any widespread health concerns. Currently, disease outbreaks and patterns in illnesses are tallied by nurses, which take a long time to gather. With a digital system, it would be easier to monitor the country’s health as a whole, making data available immediately.

“We do hope that it will create a safer environment,” Grissom said.

To a computer scientist, the technical aspect of the project is not the most challenging. The biggest task at hand is convincing the government in Namibia that the system the students have built is worth adopting. The project is risky and could be rejected at any time, according to Grissom, but it’s the high stakes that make it worth pursuing.

“It’s certainly bigger than us, so the Lord has to be involved,” Grissom said. “It has to be the Lord moving in and opening doors.”

Working on the project has strengthened Computer Information Systems major Rebecca Lee’s faith. “This project challenged me to recognize the importance of trusting in God,” Lee said. “Although I am still learning how to be a programmer, I had to trust that the code I contributed to the project would work. I also had to trust that my code would glorify God’s plan, especially when my team and I presented our progress at the U.S. Embassy and the Ministry of Health and Social Services.”

Dr. Grissom said he hopes the project shows the whole group that they can use their unique abilities to serve others in a nontraditional way. “My main goal is not for you to work on this project,” he tells his students. “My main goal is for you to see that you can make a difference for The Kingdom through your skills.”

This has been exactly the case for Computer Science Major Joshua Wood, who has gone on the trip to Namibia twice. “From the beginning, this project felt like a way for me to apply the skills I have been blessed with in Computer Science to God’s kingdom,” Wood said.

In addition to his own personal growth, Wood said he has also loved the relational growth between the APU and NUST students. While he is passionate and hopeful the project will succeed, he said even if it is not approved, he hopes the Namibian students are encouraged to take an active role in leading their country in technology.

To stay updated on the Namibia Project, follow the Department of Engineering and Computer Science on Facebook and Instagram.

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Note: This information is current for the 2023-24 academic year; however, all stated academic information is subject to change. Refer to the current Academic Catalog for more information.