Melbourne volunteers helping build OpenMRS e-health extension

Two dozen ThoughtWorks employees and enthusiasts from outside the company are expected to converge on the company's Melbourne offices tonight for several hours of collaborative work on an open healthcare-interchange standard that's delivering e-health to some of the world's most impoverished countries.

The software in question — OpenMRS — is a free and open-source medical records system that has an extensive development base around the world and has been successfully used during crises such as the response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Its free access and open design have made OpenMRS a favourite for charity and relief organisations around the world, which can quickly roll it out to large numbers of relief staff without considering licensing costs.