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Digital Health Systems in Africa
A convergence of opportunities
Sep 29, 2023
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Africa’s young tech-savvy population, combined with a rise in non-communicable diseases and a threat from climate change, is creating a convergence in health challenges that can be unlocked by digital technologies.

The needs for digitisation faced by Africa are borne from similar causes as highly developed regions but opportunities manifest themselves differently due to unique features such as:

  • Timing. Many open-source technologies are maturing right now.
  • Leapfrogging. Bypassing systemic challenges in infrastructure development.
  • Collaboration. Opportunity to build pan-African standards and regulations.
  • Open source. Collaborative approaches are cost-effective solutions and scalable.
  • Determination. International multi-donor funded initiatives.

The results from the surveys show the following five areas as focus areas for policymakers and other interested parties:

  1. Private/Public sector disparity. Private sector funding is often greater than that of the public sector, particularly in the initial phases of projects.
  2. Underdeveloped Electronic Health Records. There is no consistency across countries concerning the existence of operational EHR networks that are both comprehensive and widely used.
  3. Mobile Health prominent but not universal. mHealth holds the promise of enabling African nations to bypass the historical route to digital maturity, however, there are substantial variations in its implementation across countries.
  4. Scalability and long-term commitment. Numerous initiatives across Africa generate interest and attention, but their actual impact remains questionable.
  5. Future-fit systems. African countries primarily emphasise healthcare focused on addressing infectious diseases. However, there is a steady continental shift occurring, from acute diseases to chronic conditions.

Africa stands at a transformative juncture in its healthcare evolution and the continent is increasingly prepared to capitalise on greater digitisation. These advancements will allow Africa to prepare for novel challenges in the evolving healthcare landscape, from evolving disease patterns to the health impacts of a changing climate.

Download the white paper to learn more.

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