Disrupting Africa: Strengthening healthcare and crisis prevention

Disruptive technology is helping to overcome the traditional barriers of distance and limited access to healthcare and strengthen crisis prevention across Africa.

Remote Screening

Long treks to health centres are still the reality for most people in remote communities, but technology is beginning to take healthcare to them. Peek, a portable eye examination kit, lets users carry out eye exams by taking retinal images on their mobile phone, which are clear enough to detect signs of various issues. Similarly, CardioPad captures data on potential heart complaints which can then be transmitted for remote diagnosis by a cardiologist. 

Remote Screening opportunities and priorities for business

• Development of remote diagnosis and virtual treatment

Remote Screening opportunities and priorities for policymakers

• Using technology to improve access, reduce costs and free up overstretched personnel

Case Study: Halting Ebola

The recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa has been a testing ground for new technology in tracking the disease and helping to prevent its spread. RapidPro, a free open-source software platform hosting apps (IHRIS, mHero and U-Report) developed by UNICEF and the Rwandan software company Nyaruka, led the way. These apps helped central authorities and health workers communicate quickly and easily with each other and alert health workers on the ground about how to detect signs and avoid the spread of the disease, and can also be used for real-time monitoring. 

Big data solutions in healthcare

Anonymised mobile call-data records (CDRs) are being used to track the movement of people, map the spread of disease in an epidemic and target where treatment centres should be built. New breakthroughs also mean that the tracking can be carried out in real-time: the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is analysing data in Liberia to map where calls to helplines are coming from, indicating where there could be a fresh outbreak of disease. Using real-time data is especially useful in low income countries where census records are patchy or out-of-date, enabling more effective intervention.

The way forward

Comprehensive access and prompt attention are the foundations of effective healthcare, which technology is helping to bring a step closer. This can only play dividends though if it is part of a wider drive to improve both affordability and accessibility in basic prevention and care. This includes water, sanitation and education as well as primary healthcare, underlining the importance of data and analysis in targeting public investment most effectively. 

In my next article I'll consider how disruptive technologies can help to promote education, innovation and job creation. If you'd like to read more on these topics, please read PwC's report Disrupting Africa: riding the wave of the digital revolution.