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Digital health innovation is essential as African countries struggle with overburdened health systems, limited resources and rising chronic diseases such as cancer.
But relying solely on donor funding will not be enough to support this development.
“We’re seeing a lot of opportunities for healthcare in Africa,” says Kwasi Boahene, director of health systems at FarmAccess, an entrepreneurial nonprofit that aims to improve access to quality healthcare in Africa.
In an interview with SciDev.Net, Boahene explains how digital health can transform healthcare delivery, making it more equitable and efficient, and why public-private partnerships are key to making this happen.
What exactly does digital health mean?
Digital health refers to the integration of technology and data analytics into healthcare systems to improve efficiency, access, and patient outcomes.
Digital health has the potential to be a game changer in Africa, where health budgets are strained and the disease burden from non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes is particularly high.
These diseases account for 37% of all deaths in Africa, yet account for only 2% of global health investments.
By adopting digital solutions, African health systems can close this gap and ensure more equitable access to quality healthcare.
Digital health has a key role to play in supporting the Universal Health Coverage commitments adopted by most African countries.
What forms does digital health take?
Digital health encompasses a wide range of tools and applications, from mobile health solutions and remote patient monitoring to mobile health wallets and digital platforms.
This includes health data systems, data analytics, predictive analytics, and artificial intelligence. These technologies can greatly expand access to healthcare, especially in underserved areas, and support data-driven decision-making by healthcare providers.
The data generated by these systems is essential to increasing the value of healthcare for patients, providers, and payers. Ultimately, digital health not only improves access to healthcare, but also makes it more efficient and effective.
What is the role of digital health in healthcare delivery?
Africa has already demonstrated its ability to innovate digitally, particularly in mobile finance and commerce: 57% of Africans do not have bank accounts, yet mobile payments account for approximately 10% of Africa’s GDP, compared to just 2% in Europe and the U.S. Building on this success, digital health can bring similar innovation to healthcare, addressing the continent’s unique challenges.
With the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, Africa needs more efficient healthcare solutions to manage these diseases. Digital health can optimize resources, improve disease management and improve patient outcomes.
Can African countries roll out digital health?
The success of mobile technologies in Africa offers valuable lessons for digital health: A phased approach, starting with manageable investments and then scaling up based on results, can minimize risk and optimize resources.
When implemented thoughtfully, digital health technologies can reduce both initial and operational costs.
Partnerships between governments and the private sector are key, providing technical expertise, funding and innovative solutions to ease the financial burden on countries.
Such collaborations will accelerate the deployment of digital health solutions by leveraging the strengths of each partner, ensuring more equitable and widespread access.
Many African countries rely on donor funding for their health programs, but is digital health sustainable?
Donations are important but are not sustainable for meeting long-term medical needs.
Blended finance is a more practical solution, which is why PharmAccess created the Health Credit Fund to provide business training, financing and technical assistance to entrepreneurs in the healthcare sector.
This approach combines domestic financing with private investment to create greater value and sustainability.
Donor funds, if used strategically, can act as a risk mitigator, especially in high-risk environments, and help catalyze larger investments from the private sector.
Are there any success stories of digital health initiatives in Africa?
Yes, there are some success stories: In Kenya, PharmAccess partnered with CarePay International, a Dutch-Kenyan social enterprise, to develop a mobile healthcare payments platform.
The platform will enable millions of Kenyans to access affordable health services through their mobile phones.
The platform currently serves 4.7 million people and is used in 5,000 healthcare facilities, generating critical data to improve healthcare for patients, providers and governments.
In Ghana, we supported the National Health Insurance Authority in implementing the CLAIM-it app, which streamlines claims processing, reduces costs and minimizes fraud.
Data collected from the app is helping to shape policy towards value-based care for non-communicable diseases and is currently being piloted in partnership with CHAG, a network of over 300 health facilities and training institutes.
Provided by SciDev.Net
Source: Q&A: Donor Funding for Digital Health in Africa Falls Short (September 23, 2024) Retrieved September 23, 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-qa-donor-funding-falls-short.html
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