Digital solutions are the future of quality healthcare

Africa is firmly in the race for good health as several innovative e-health initiatives sweep across the region. [iStockphoto]

The African Union Agenda 2063 envisions a prosperous continent based on inclusive growth and sustainable development.

For this to happen, there is need to safeguard the citizens' healthcare and food security.

Governments have prioritised achieving universal healthcare access in their national development agenda but progress has been hindered by lack of sufficient investment. The story of health systems across the continent has mainly been dominated by lack of institutional integrity, inadequate human skills resources, and little financial and technical capacity.

The AU development agency, Nepad, admits the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the weaknesses of the fragile healthcare system. In a post in a blog series published in 2022 by the secretariat on behalf of the AU High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies and the Calestous Juma Executive Dialogues, the agency notes that Africa has a heavy load of chronic diseases and roughly twice as many diseases per person as the rest of the world.

The fragility of the healthcare system has made it difficult for many people to access quality care, early detection of disease and treatment. Where healthcare services are available, the costs are too high.

Insurance premiums are high and many employers can't afford a health insurance policy for their frontline staff. Even those who offer insurance are concerned about the rising cost. In Kenya, patients pay 32 per cent more for medicines than patients in the UK for the same medical condition.

Data from Statista shows African countries had the highest share of global population living below the extreme poverty line in 2022. About 12 per cent of the world population in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at $1.90 dollars a day, lived in Nigeria. The Democratic Republic of the Congo accounted for around 10 per cent of the global population in extreme poverty.

But Africa's health systems story could change drastically following the proliferation of digital apps and increasing mobile connectivity. Digital solutions are the future of equitable, quality healthcare and resilient health systems for Africa need not be gainsaid. The continent is already showing great strides in boosting telemedicine, eLearning and mobile health.

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In 2018, a study by Ernest & Young predicted that over a relatively short period, the core business of health will be anchored around digitally-enabled models of care, including virtual delivery and interactive person-centred tools. That prediction is fast becoming a reality in Africa.

The continent, despite lagging behind in information and communication technologies infrastructure, is firmly in the race for good health as several innovative e-health initiatives sweep across the region.

We have seen the sprouting of various apps ranging from general wellness tips to telemedicine for booking and payments. People can also monitor their health conditions, keep track of medication, and allow healthcare providers to consult and share health records remotely using health management apps.

This has mainly been boosted by the increasing mobile and internet connectivity in the region. According to global mobile industry representative GSMA, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 456 million unique mobile phone users - a phone penetration rate of just 44 per cent compared to 66 per cent worldwide and 86 per cent in Europe.

In Kenya, the statistics are even more promising, The World Bank places mobile subscriptions at 104 as per the latest data in 2019. Industry regulator, the Communications Authority of Kenya, which defines mobile users by SIM penetration, reported a 119.9 per cent mobile penetration as of June 2020.

The Kenya Media Landscape Survey published by social marketing research firm, Ipsos Kenya, in July 2022 cited mobile phones as the major disruptor of several sectors including health, insurance, banking and education.

With an increase in mobile ownership, it requires healthcare service providers too to leverage on emerging mobile phone technology to enhance access to quality care, medicines and diagnostic services.

As the Ernest & Young study noted, health businesses without a game plan to incorporate tech-enabled highly personalised care will be found wanting as maturing consumerism and transformative digital technologies align to create a powerful force for change.

- The writer is the CEO of Checkups Medical Centre.