I asked him to collaborate and soon after we met at the Bocconi University, in Milano, where he teaches. In June 2009 our work about low cost diagnostic image transmission (Bellina and Missoni) was published in Diagnostic Pathology (an Open Access Journal) Bellina, L., Missoni, E., Mobile cell-phones (M-phones) in telemicroscopy: increasing connectivity of isolated laboratories, Diagnostic Pathology, 2009, 4: 19
Since then, we intensified our collaboration. With Prof. Missoni, we advocate the use of this image transmission method and, where needed, I make myself available to teach the method in practice.
We believe that access to health and access to care is a fundamental human right and medical technology must serve and be fit for purpose. Unfortunately health is a right which is still neglected to the majority of humanity.
Sharing my experience in Lampedusa with Eduardo Missoni gave also rise to collaboration in the area of migrants’ health care and rights. On the subject, we made an oral presentation in September 2010 at the 6th European Congress of Tropical Medicine and International Health and 1th Mediterranean Conference on Migration and Travel Health – in Verona (Italy). (Bellina, L., Maugeri, M., Missoni, E., Ethical and public health concerns based on the retrospective analysis of referrals for diagnostic parasitology of immigrants and autochtonous population in Lampedusa island (Italy), European Journal TM&IH, 2009, 14 (Supp. 2) 66) and we are currently elaborating further on the subject, examining other aspects concerning migrants’ right to health, health care delivery and related economic aspects.
My interest for Migrants’ rights and Health care dates back to 1991 when I started to work in Lampedusa (1991). However, the direct relationship with migrant people landing in Lampedusa and, later, the work with Eduardo Missoni have been decisive for my commitment.
In 2009 I became a member of the Italian Society of Migration Medicine (SIMM) and of the Italian Society of Tropical Medicine (SIMET).
I am also a member of the National Migrants’ health Care Work Group (at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità – National health Institute in Rome); of the Working Group “European AIDS & Mobility Project” and, since June 2010 of COST Action (European Cooperation In Science and Technology ).
For my personal up-date in related fields I attended a number of courses, including:
Advanced Course in “Basic laboratory for tropical disease and health cooperation”, at Verona Negrar Hospital (director Dr. Zeno Bisoffi)( October 2008 )
Advanced Course in “Tropical Medicine and Health Cooperation” (4 months), at Florence Careggi University (director Pro f. Alessandro Bartoloni) (March-June 2009 )
Course in “Management of transmissible disease in sub saharianan Africa”, at Pemba (Zanzibar) Public Health laboratory, supported by De Carneri Foundation. (July 2010).
I soon realized that my mission was to dedicate myself to the Poor and to facilitate their access to care, including through the adoption of low-cost telemedicine, mainly in rural communities. Thus, immediately after the course in Verona, I contacted the Corti Foundation and, after a meeting with Dominique Corti, in Milan in January , 2009, I made myself available to work in Uganda, where I spent two months (October to November 2009) volunteering at Lacor Hospital, in Gulu. I was sent there as a supervisor of the Corti Foundation, and to support “on the job” training in diagnostic laboratory for students of the Laboratory Course for Technicians.
I had previously entered in touch with Nobel Laureate Professor Mohammad Yunus, and had offered also to him to help in introducing the “mobilediagnosis” method (i.e. the use of cellular phone for tele-diagnosis and support) in rural communities in Bangladesh. I met Prof. Yunus in Milano (Februray 2010) and he invited me to go to Bangladesh and contribute to the improvement of Grameen Kalyan rural health centers and train local healthworkers.
Having accepted the invitation I volunteered three months in Bangladesh (April-July 2010) teaching and applying mobilediagnosis, linking centers in rural areas of Bangladesh and the headquarters in Dhaka. In Bangladesh I lived in rural centers (first in Tangail, in the extreme North of Bangladesh, and later in Comilla district, in the East of the country ). For several weeks, I taught and worked with my students all day long, from early morning to sunset . In Grameen Foundation’s health centers, I practically organized a “school “ of lowcost telepathology and basic telemedicine, based only on the local minimal equipment and available personal cellphones. 16 lab technicians of 16 different rural health center where involved. I taught the use of the microscope; theory and practice of laboratory techniques and basic parasitology, urine analysis, hematology and stool sample examination, as well as capturing and sending images from microscopical fields, and differential diagnosis and logic clinic.
I also taught to 6 medical doctors (about logic clinic, differential diagnosis, primary health care and to transmission of ultrasound images with the mobile-phone) from 6 different health centers.
In the second phase of my permanence in Bangladesh, I was based in Dhaka at the central Grameen office and supported the distance diagnosis for images sent by the lab-technicians I had trained. Confirming the validity of the method. My work is summarized in two reports and a tutorial booklet.
The experience developed using the mobilediagnosis method is summarized in a paper entitled “Increasing connectivity of isolated health workers in poor countries using locally available technology” co-authored with prof. Missoni, that will be presented at the coming 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health -Berlin, Germany, from 11 to 15 November 2010.
To promote mobilediagnosis, with Eduardo Missoni, we have been developping since 2009 http://www.mobilediagnosis.net .
Our aim is to develop it into an interactive consultation site, to provide free support to low skill – low resources and isolated healthworkers (lab technicians, pathologists, clinicians) working in low resources countries or isolated and rural areas, offering the possibility to receive diagnostic confirmation from more skilled colleagues.
Thanks to my attitude and my open and communicative behavior I easily establish a good human relation with patients, as well as students and colleagues, as documented by several letters from Bangladeshi students, labtechnicians and medical doctors.
I would like to dedicate the rest of my life working for poor people, as medical pathologist and as teacher, and to promote mobilediagnosis to low resources settings and to the poorest communities; to give my little contribution to bridge the health and technological divide, and to put the global health care network at the service of the poorest and neglected community. I am ready to leave immediately my current work, and to travel. I have no difficulty to reside in any country and in any socio-economical setting.

Thanks for your attention
Livia Bellina
mobile: +39 3389112818 / +39 3926180630 skype id: liviamarcellaclaudia
e-mail address: liviabellina@hotmail.it and liviabellina@gmail.com
Palermo Italy, November 8 , 2010

What is the infrastructure like in Bangladesh when it comes to SMS capabilities? Any interesting “hurdles” you had to overcome because of the country?

Regards
Mark

Best wishes