Technology can address
some of the biggest health challenges in Africa, says Vuyani Jarana at Vodacom
Business.
Healthcare is a massive
challenge in Africa. The continent is home to 15% of the world’s population and
24% of global disease burden, and yet has only 3% of the world’s healthcare
workforce at its disposal.
Demands on the
healthcare systems are also increasing as non-communicable diseases, such as
cancer, hypertension, diabetes and heart disease, are on the rise. Healthcare
providers across the continent will therefore need to prioritise early
detection and treatment. As such, the continent is reliant on the public and
private sectors to work together to develop solutions to tackle healthcare
delivery challenges.
According to the World
Bank, 50% of economic growth differential between developing and developed
nations can be attributed to poor health. The healthier the citizens of a
country, the more effective the workforce and the greater the potential for
economic growth. To achieve this and leapfrog the global healthcare systems it
is critical that technology and innovative solutions be implemented across the
continent.
“We have developed a
range of healthcare solutions using mobile technology specifically to bridge
the gap,” says Vuyani Jarana Chief Officer at Vodacom Business. “These
solutions are up and running in locations across Africa and will help overcome healthcare challenges facing the
continent.”
A shortage of doctors
and nurses is one challenge. As such, the continent relies heavily on Community
Health Workers (CHWs) to provide healthcare services at people’s homes. One of
the biggest challenges facing the CHWs has been correctly capturing patient
information to create and file accurate records.
“We have developed a
mobile application that runs on an Android smartphone. This allows CHWs to
capture patient information, making service records more accurate and easily
accessible,” says Jarana. This mobile application which is currently in use in
Kenya and South Africa, has increased the quality and productivity of CHW
programmes significantly, leading to better healthcare service delivery to
citizens.
A similar solution has
been rolled out in Mozambique to increase the efficacy of immunisation
programmes. Caregivers and children are registered by a nurse using a mobile
application. They then receive an SMS reminder when they are due to go back to
the clinic for an immunisation visit. Should a child fall behind on their
immunisation schedule, the system flags the case allowing the clinics to
intervene and ensure the child receives all scheduled vaccinations.
The supply and
effective stock keeping of essential medicines is another challenge facing the
continent. “We have implemented a stock visibility solution in more than 5 000
primary health care clinics in Tanzania and more than 1 200 clinics in South
Africa,” says Jarana.
A mobile phone, running
a native application linked to a specific primary health care facility, is
issued to each clinic. A weekly SMS is sent to remind the clinic management to
submit an update on stock levels, expiry dates, wastage and stock received. The
information is uploaded via the GSM network into a Vodacom data centre,
allowing the system to flag low stock levels and stock-outages and inform
management to supply the stock needed. The system not only tracks information
about quantity and location, but also urgency. This informs the supply chain to
deliver the correct quantities of essential medicines to the right facilities
on time.
Jarana believes that
technology will be a key driver in helping the continent to overcome some of
its healthcare challenges. “Mobile technology can address some of the biggest
healthcare challenges in Africa. Our job is to continue to develop relevant and
innovative solutions that will meet the continent’s growing need for quality
healthcare services,” he concludes.
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