Old Friends and New

This is the fourth time this year I've been to Riyadh.  Briefly, I'm working with the Ministry of Health on their National e-Health Strategy.  It's a huge initiative in this country, with a very long term vision and lofty goals. As part of this project, I've be doing workshops on standards, and how to use them to meet some of those goals with various physicians, nurses and other healthcare and IT professionals.  If you look at the first picture on the link above, and find the Enterprise Standards and Profiles component, I'm working right in the middle of that part of it.  It is extremely interesting and demanding work, especially as you see all of the the various timelines shown in the image below. Imagine having to herd all of those cats.

If I had one think to say about the team who is working with us, its like "Dude, we're getting the band back together."  I get to work again on a national program with many of my friends from HITSP and who have also been working on regional and national and international programs elsewhere.  But in addition to old friends, I've also made some new ones:

Me with the Saudi Healthcare Standards Team

Yes, that's me in a thobe in the middle wearing traditional Saudi garb, next to the Chief Architect also in the middle, with two of the Standards Specialists (a new role in the Ministry I imagine) on either side.  

You may wonder, especially those of you who work in standards where the Middle East and Africa are in Healthcare standards.  Well, they are coming, and these gentlemen are leading the way.  I hope to introduce you to them someday at an IHE or HL7 meeting.