MALATE, Manila- The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) and the Department of Health (DOH), in partnership with SMART Communications, Inc., will hold #ThinkOpenHealth on 16-17 April 2016 at AIM Conference Center Manila. #ThinkOpenHealth is a hackathon event bringing together developers from the country to help improve the local health sector through information and communications technology (ICT) solutions.

The hackathon event is also driven by the Philippine Government’s mission on Inclusive Health through strengthening its eHealth strategy by SMART’s campaign on Technology for Development or Tech4D. To launch the event, a Pre-Hackathon will be held on 8 April 2016 at the New World Manila Bay Hotel.

Among the topics to be discussed during the Pre-Hackathon event are “Problems Statements within the Local Health Sector,” “Best Practice: Global Health Perspective/ Big Data,” and “Best Practice: Incubation & Accelaration Program.” Attendance to the Pre-Hackathon event is not required, but is highly recommended to help the developers understand the criteria of the main event.

#ThinkOpenHealth is a team event and to compete, participants should form a team composed of three to four members. They should also register online at http://tinyurl.com/ThinkOpenHealth2016.

Competing teams will have the opportunity to be guided by mentors with expertise related to technical, health, business, and legal areas. At the end of the Hackathon event, three teams will be chosen to receive cash prizes, latest gadgets and the chance to undergo social incubation led by DOST-PCHRD, DOH and SMART-IdeaSpace.

#ThinkOpenHealth will allow developers to learn new programming techniques, network with other developers and software representatives, win prizes and, most importantly, make a difference in the world! For more information about the event, visit Think Open: Hackathon for Health 2016 or DOST PCHRD on Facebook. ■