Telemedicine is a rapidly developing application of clinical medicine where medical information is transferred via telephone, the Internet or other networks.
"This ambitious programme consists in putting technology at the service of medicine in Africa, beginning with Cameroon. We will soon start a 3-4 month pilot phase," said Bonjawo, who runs the Americian start-up, "Genesis Futuristic Technologies".
The telemedicine programme in Cameroon plans to open four sites in rural areas connected to a main server from which specialists could make diagnostics and prescribe therapies.
"For us, it is essential to address problems in Africa caused by the shortage of medical facilities. This is nothing less than opening rural areas by providing access for the greatest number of patients to specialists," said Bonjawo, the author of a book on Internet and Africa.
Cameroon's ministries of health and economy, the Cameroon Telecommunications Company (CAMTEL) and the national health professionals are partners in the programme that should be quickly expanded to other African countries, according to the promoter.
"For this telemedicine project, we have world-famous Cameroonian professionals like Wali Muna, Kingué Samuel, who are both cardiologists, and surgeon Pierre-Marie Noundou. With them, we will have an approach that will help prevent medical errors or diagnostics errors," Bonjawo said.
According to him, doctors involved to the programme will examine together the various clinical cases so as to propose the therapy to be followed.
"After the pilot phase, we will probably expand the use of communication technologies in Gabon and to countries in West Africa," he said, adding that "following the pilot phase, we will probably expand the use of communication technologies in Gabon and to some West African countries."
Several other southern countries, including India and Senegal, have experimented telemedicine as a response to the shortage of health specialists and facilities in rural areas.
"We actually intend to benefit from the lessons of the experiment conducted by Genesis, in India, which has development realities similar to those of our country. In this regard, the establishment of a subsidiary of our start-up in Cameroon will be of paramount usefulness. This subsidiary will carry out the project. But beyond that, I wish to put links between Genesis and Africa," Bonjawo disclosed.
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Quelle/Source: Afrique en ligne, 04.02.2009
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