We have started a project in collaboration with Calvin Besong Eta Oben with the objective to understand which companies are leading the e-health transformation in Africa and how this influences the delivery of health care.
E-health is the use of information and communication technology to improve health and health systems. E-health relies on technologies such as: telemedicine, mobile phones and applications, diagnostic artificial intelligence support and wearables devices. The strength of e-health is that it can be used to improve the efficiency, quality, coverage and access to healthcare at low cost. E-health could potentially revolutionize healthcare delivery in Africa. Telemedicine for example, can be used to provide access to quality healthcare in hard to reach areas, thereby reducing health inequalities. Furthermore, wearable devices provide reliable and valid remote monitoring of patient parameters. E-learning platforms could improve on staff quality by providing training while other artificial intelligence-based algorithm can be used to assist diagnosis and interpretation of medical results.
If you are interested in this project, please join the linkedin group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12212373/
Current challenges to successful implementation of e-health in Africa include: lack of an enabling environment for development and implementation of e-health solutions such as weak ICT infrastructure and lack of political will. However, scalability of e-health in Africa could arguably lead to modification of the roles and responsibilities of health care professionals. Furthermore, this could lead to the disruption of healthcare provision by shifting the process from government, insurance and pharma companies to companies providing technology such as Amazon, Google and Samsung. There are a number of companies based in Africa and abroad that are already providing e-health solutions in Africa. In the analysis we will focus on e-health companies:
- within Africa that are used in more than one country
- Outside Africa that are used in one or more countries in Africa.
The first aim with this project is that we find insights to how smart e-health solutions can bring value in health care delivery, not only in Africa but also in the western world. In the videos listed below you can see encouraging examples of cross-boarder collaboration that I wish we could have in Europe (Ehealth Africa). In the video from e-health Ghana I see services I wish I could find in Sweden... E-health at best can provide solutions that can be scalable at low cost.
The second aim of this project is that the mapping and analysis of the companies will give insights and transparency that will enable more collaboration across different countries.
E-health is already broadly deployed in Africa. Here are some video-clips of important perspectives:
- E-Health Ghana (2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnwccxAH3YY
- eHealth Africa (2018)..based in the Nigeria, USA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8-KlwF81Qw&t=12s
- AMREF FRANCE (A number of African countries): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV3yQvSntKk
We have just started the project and this is the starting point. In the next few weeks you will see the list evolve.
