How do we access servers located at remote west Africa hospital that uses a cell phone network and private ip addresses?

Question

I'm a volunteer working with a hospital in an underdeveloped area in west Africa. The hospital has access to slow (2G) cell phone service. Recently we were able to provide the hospital with slow internet access so they can access email and text chat using this device called a globesurfer and a directional antenna: http://www.amazon.com/Option-GlobeSurfer-III-HSPA-Router/dp/B00266Z9F2

This is a simplified network layout

Local hospital LAN <-> Globesurfer <-> Cell Phone Network 192.168.x.x 10.x.x.x

Since the Globesurfer has been assigned a private network ip address in the 10.x.x.x range by the cell phone network, we cannot connect to servers on the hospital LAN via the internet. Keep in mind that the infrastructure and technical support is hard to come by in this area, so we have to work with what's available. There is some talk that they will upgrade to 3G some time in the near future.

Is there any device that we could put on the hospital network that could initiate a connection to another device on a network with a public/routeable IP address here in the US to establish a VPN from the US end to the hospital campus network? In other words the session would originate from the hospital network and would be kept open from that end. We could then connect to the device on the US end to get into the hospital network.

I'm not a network guy, so I hope the question is clear. We don't have a much of a budget so we need a solution that is economical.

Many Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Indeed, a hospital originated VPN would be the only way to do it.

What device and where it connects would be "too broad" for NE, but many routers (even "home" hardware) support IPSec -- from what I can tell, the GlobeSurfer does as well. In general, when network management is outsourced, the VPN would naturally terminate with the company doing that management.