Lack of existing health-care systems and underdeveloped privacy laws are likely to push faster adoption of mobile health business models in Africa compared to developed countries.
Operators and partners from developed countries are projecting that it will take at least five years before they can navigate through laws and develop appropriate business models, but in Africa, m-health projects are taking off.
Big companies and organizations such as Accenture, Qualcomm, Orange, MTN and the UN Foundation mHealth Alliance have been involved in pilot projects in India and Africa but are yet to come up with models that will work in the West.
"There is no doubt about the abilities of m-health [for] monitoring illnesses like diabetes and [transmitting] early warning signs," said Lisa Mitnick, executive director of Mobility Practice at Accenture. "But it will take at least five years for compliance issues and business models to be worked out."
Sanlam, South Africa's leading health-care services provider, is working with telco MTN to roll out 11 products in the 22 African countries in which MTN operates. Sanlam has developed more than 3,600 diagnoses profiles and is expecting to use mobile phones to allow people to determine their ailments, self-medicate or consult doctors, depending on the symptoms.
"Next month we are starting with simple programs that can be accessed by pregnant women and have options to pay monthly or one-off for nine months, which will then lead to (the) 'My Toddler' application," said Grant Newton, CEO of Sanlam.
Security and privacy of information are major challenges in the West, where laws restrict access to medical records. In countries where privacy laws and medical jurisprudence are not well-developed however, the desire to provide medical services might take precedence.
"In more litigious environments processes are followed and different laws have to be complied with, but in areas with limited health care and fewer laws, it is easier; in South Africa we have followed due process but in other countries with no privacy laws, the process is faster," said Newton.
Mobile health projects have been seen as new avenues for operators and their partners to expand revenue streams, especially in areas where there is no access to medical facilities and people normally self-medicate.
"The beauty of mobile phones is that it's real time and service will be cloud-based, so it does not matter if it's a smartphone or not; you could be seated under a tree and access services of a nurse in the city, or be able to determine whether your symptoms are serious enough to see a doctor immediately or self-medicate," added Newton.
Qualcomm conducted a pilot m-health project, and the results from South Africa and Kenya indicated that the m-health projects should be rolled out in more areas, officials said.
"I have received calls from more provinces in South Africa that want to spread the service to more underserved areas," said Elizabeth Migwalla, senior director of government affairs for Qualcomm. "The challenge for many countries in Africa is not privacy but how do you make health care more accessible to people? Yes, privacy is important but there are other pressing needs."
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Rebecca Wanjiku
Quelle/Source: Computerworld, 16.02.2011
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