New forms of tech could provide the answer to some of the largest struggles in African healthcare.
One of the largest and most complex challenges currently facing Africa is in its healthcare field, but many are starting to believe that a number of the problems that are the most difficult to overcome could possibly be sidestepped through the use of mobile health tech.
Africa is home to 15 percent of the global population, but 24 percent of worldwide disease and illness.
Unfortunately, despite that fact, it also contains only 3 percent of the total healthcare workforce of the world. What’s more, the healthcare demands in that region of the world are on the rise, as non-communicable diseases also start to play a large role in the impact on public wellness. People in Africa are starting to see a higher instance of heart disease, hypertension, cancer and diabetes. This means that healthcare providers across the continent will need to start looking beyond communicable disease intervention and begin to focus on early detection and ongoing treatment programs. In this, many believe that mobile health will be among the keys to success.
The reason is that the healthcare sector doesn’t have a wide number of resources, but mobile health is readily available.
By using mhealth, the tools are already in the hands of the population. It is simply a matter of choosing the right options to help them to use those tools to make sure the right steps are taken for their medical wellbeing and overcome healthcare challenges.
The World Bank has stated that half of the economic growth differential between developed and developing countries can be explained by way of poor health. The reason is that the healthier the people are in a country, the more efficient their workforce will be and the greater its economic growth potential. However, in order to actually move an area the size of Africa into a position in which its population is healthier providers are looking to the use of mobile technology to help them to skip over some of the largest barriers in the way and leapfrog them to a place that is closer to the health levels of developed nations.
According to the Vodacom Business chief, Vuyani Jarana, “We have developed a range of healthcare solutions using mobile technology specifically to bridge the gap.” Jarana went on to say that the mobile health solutions “are up and running in locations across Africa and will help overcome healthcare challenges facing the continent.”
