We attended the AfricaCom 2020 convention in Cape Town last November 2017 and caught up with some of the EHealth experts present there to try and get a better feel for what is happening in this field. We asked them about the need for EHealth solutions, examples of what is currently out there and how these digital healthcare solutions work.
The definition of EHealth
Ehealth refers to the digitization of healthcare; putting digital tools in the hands of healthcare professional and patients. “In practice this encompasses many aspects of digital health, including: electronic patient management systems, digital health records, mHealth or mobile solutions, telemedicine and much more”, explains Taryn Springhall, Editor at eHealthNews.
Read more: ZA: Will EHealth replace doctors’ visits in the near future?
We often talk about cyber-security from the perspective of the private sector, however, governments and public sector organisations hold vast troves of data on citizens. If this gets into the wrong hands, it can wreak havoc, and diminish the trust among the voting public.
We have already seen elements of this in South Africa. For instance it was reported that in 2016 almost 9 million South Africans were victims of some form of cyber-crime. Government plays a crucial role in securing the citizen data held in its databases, as well as in helping to educate our nation on the measures to protect themselves against global crime syndicates.
Read more: ZA: Cyber-security – Essential in realising our e-Government ambitions
South African e-health startup RecoMed has raised ZAR4.5 million (US$324,000) in funding to fund a shift to increasing product traction and market its products and services.
RecoMed is an online healthcare marketplace, enabling consumers to easily book appointments with a diverse group of healthcare providers 24/7, who in turn benefit from increased patient traffic and practice efficiencies.
Read more: South African e-health startup RecoMed secures $324k investment
Kathy Gibson at the Gauteng Provincial Government Technology & Innovation Conference – Like climate change, the digital revolution is upon us here in South Africa and in Gauteng.
In fact, Gauteng is at the forefront of the revolution in the continent, says Dr Siyabonga Cwele, minister of telecommunications and postal services.
Gauteng has a comparative advantage in exploiting the opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution because it has the infrastructure, Dr Cwele adds.
E-health accelerator Digital Health Cape Town (DHCT) has opened applications for its first programme, designed to help high growth, high social impact businesses in the health space succeed.
The accelerator has been launched in response to the changing needs of healthcare providers and patients, in a bid to digitally transform the sector by assisting early-stage, innovative digital health companies.