AFRICA – Africa CDC is set to harness the potential of digital health to leapfrog some of the barriers affecting healthcare and public health in its Member States while becoming a digital-savvy organization.
In recent years, digital transformation has emerged as a critical tool for enhancing healthcare delivery and improving health outcomes globally.
The adoption of digital technologies in healthcare is transforming how health services are delivered, improving access and enhance the quality of care, improve accountability and reduce costs.
In Africa, where health systems are faced with numerous challenges, including insufficient funding, inadequate infrastructure, and shortages of skilled healthcare workers, digital transformation presents a unique opportunity to address these challenges and improve health outcomes for millions of people.
Some of the current transformative examples of digital technologies applied to health include electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine and mobile health (mHealth) and health information exchange (HIEs).
Others include precision and personalized medicine, digital supply chains and drone delivery of medical supplies or, in the field of public health emergencies, real-time analytics for early detection and contact tracing.
Beyond these, other core technologies from the Fourth Industrial Revolution are advancing at a very rapid space.
They include additive manufacturing, advanced robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, augmented and virtual reality, and the Internet of things. The promises are on par with the expected widespread change and upheaval.
Africa comprises 16 percent of the world’s population and carries 23 percent of the global disease burden, but in 2015 it accounted for only 1 percent of total global health expenditures. On average, the rest of the world spends 10 times more per capita on health care than Africa.
Digital technologies provide numerous opportunities to strengthen African health systems, from minor improvements to radical changes that, if well implemented, can help countries address some of the traditional barriers to meeting the health needs of the population.
These include collection, sharing and use of data as well as more efficient logistics and supply chains for improved healthcare and public health of African populations.
Africa CDC collaborates with GSMA
Recently, Africa CDCs signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with telecoms industry body the GSM Association (GSMA) to bring the transformational power of mobile connectivity to support Africa’s most significant healthcare challenges.
The GSMA will work closely with Africa CDC on HealthConnekt Africa, a bold new initiative to connect all health facilities and workforce in Africa to the internet by 2030.
The initiative will start with a small group of pioneer African Union Member States and communities, which will see their health facilities connected to the internet and health workers equipped with smart devices, allowing them to improve the quality of care provided to their clients through access to vital online resources.
The partners will also work together on promoting homegrown healthtech innovations and organizing convenings that bring together the public health and tech communities in to chart ways of accelerating the digital transformation of the health sector in Africa.
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