By Fayemi Adegoroye<\/p>\n
The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented disruption for the
\nglobal health and development community. Patients, especially those with
\nunderlying health issues that require continuous management, have found
\ntheir lives complicated by challenges of access, safety, supply chain
\nlogistics, and financial stress like never before.<\/p>\n
The short-term implications of this global challenge are evident
\neverywhere, but the long-term consequences of the pandemic \u2014 how it
\nwill reshape health services delivery and accessibility in the post
\nCOVID-19 world \u2014 have started engaging the thoughts and attention of
\nforward-looking service providers.<\/p>\n
Experts have submitted that the outcry in virtually every country about
\nthe lack of equipment and supplies to test for and protect against
\nCOVID-19 will lead countries to reexamine their supply chains for
\ncritical health and livelihood related products.<\/p>\n
For a nation like Nigeria, it was generally expected that this predicted
\nwave of nationalism would catch us on wrong footing, given the fact that
\nwe have always lacked most of the required factors to develop a robust
\ninnovative and responsive health services delivery model.<\/p>\n
Wealthy Nigerians have often preferred travelling abroad for medical
\ntreatment with the Minister of Health having been quoted as estimating
\nthat the country spends over $1 billion annually on medical tourism.
\nTherefore it is a no-brainer that with the emerging new normal world, a
\nrethink of how healthcare and healthcare resources are accessed even by
\nthe comfortable and well to-do citizens has become necessary. Healthcare
\nservices delivery must undergo a transmutation from the physical, brick
\nand mortar format to a more tech-driven approach. Thus, the concept of
\ntech-for-health san borders cannot be dismissed lightly.
\nAnd Nigeria, now more than ever before, must confront using technology
\nto transform her healthcare delivery system in a way that ensures a
\nwin-win for all.<\/p>\n
The growth and sophistication of Nigeria\u2019s telecommunications and ICT
\nsectors in the last two decades as well as the increasing global tilt
\ntowards greater deployment of ICT for health (Health ICT) have continued
\nto point health service providers in the country in the direction of
\nembracing innovative new thinking required to strengthen and
\nrevolutionize the health system.<\/p>\n
Since 1989, when the first attempt at healthcare computerization was
\nrecorded in the country, Nigeria had been expected to double up on her
\neffort in making steady progress towards making her health space become
\nstrongly tech-driven.<\/p>\n
It is on record that the Department of Computer Science and Engineering
\nat the Obafemi Awolowo University, in conjunction with the Obafemi
\nAwolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC) and the University
\nof Kuopio (now the University of Eastern Finland) Computing Centre in
\nFinland, jointly established the country\u2019s first project on health
\ninformatics (HI) in 1989. Through this collaboration, they developed a
\nbasic system for in-patient admissions, transfers, and discharges that
\nhas been enhanced over the years and is now known as the Made in Nigeria
\nPrimary Healthcare Information System (MINPHIS).<\/p>\n
MINPHIS was the first digitalized hospital system in Nigeria to be
\nlocally developed and deployed to keep electronic patient records and
\ngenerate various reports for health management. These reports include
\npatient status, medical history, and admissions details such as length
\nof stay, discharge summaries, mortality and morbidity data, and
\noperations.<\/p>\n
The recent COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a game changer as the idea of
\npersonalized clinic installed as an App on a patient\u2019s mobile device
\nhas now become firmly established in the country\u2019s health delivery
\nspace to take over from where MINPHIS and its other offshoots of the
\npast stopped.<\/p>\n
For a country that has for long been reeling under the various negative
\nimpacts of an underfunded health sector, the recent introduction of the
\ngrassroots-targeted PDI App by Pre Diagnosis International, a private
\nsector, charity-driven, hybrid telehealth brand, is a commendable
\ninitiative that could prove landmark in the nation\u2019s quest to maximize
\nthe scarce health resources at her disposal in the delivery of health
\nservices to the populace.<\/p>\n
Although there have been a few other telehealth platforms aimed largely
\nat the upper crust of the society, the uniqueness of the PDI App stems
\nfrom its focus on targeting poor, vulnerable Nigerians in, especially,
\nrural and semi urban parts of the country under an aggressive
\ncharity-styled Reach, Rescue and Fortify mantra aimed at delivering
\nhealthcare to two million vulnerable Nigerians annually.<\/p>\n
The App is an interactive mobile application that gives users immediate
\naccess to highly trained and experienced full time PDI doctors who can
\nassist them access quality healthcare from home, office, on a business
\ntrip or vacation. With a meagre annual subscription, the user can obtain
\nand store latest blood pressure reading, heart health vitals, blood
\nsugar information, as well as other vital statistics required to
\ncomprehensively evaluate the state of their health status. Also, the
\nuser is able to access free quality consultation and treatment for a
\nmyriad of ailments all year round without physically stepping out of his
\nor her home as the doctor may order an investigation, give a
\nprescription or counselling or initiate a referral to a secondary center
\nvia the interaction. And all these and other benefits are accessible at
\nthe payment of just the annual subscription and no other payment.<\/p>\n
COVID-19 may have been a sudden and unexpected occurrence that has
\ntriggered sad and unfortunate illnesses and deaths, jolting the world in
\na way that has not been witnessed for several years. It may have,
\nhowever, begun to nudge us as a nation to re-invent ourselves in many
\nways.<\/p>\n
Efforts, such as the PDI innovative move to give patients full control
\nof their health via cheap, personalized telehealth solutions as well as
\nother Private-Public Partnerships (PPP) designed to improve the health
\nand well-being of citizens deserve full applause for helping to speed up
\nthe re-shaping of Nigeria\u2019s health sector.<\/p>\n
-Fayemi Adegoroye is the Chief Project Officer of TECH4HEALTHNG, Lagos<\/p>\n
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android [1]<\/p>\n