By James Tasamba
KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Experts called on African governments Monday to formulate policies that promote digital solutions in disease detection, control and health care service delivery in light of current technological advancements.
Speaking during the fourth edition of the Africa HealthTech Summit in Rwanda’s capital Kigali, Raji Tajudeen, deputy director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), urged Africa to invest in digital health, data and artificial intelligence (AI) to power a healthier future.
He decried the fact that many African countries are off track to achieving the global Sustainable Development Goal 3, which seeks to ensure good health and wellbeing for all, due to the lack of necessary infrastructure.
Africa CDC has launched a digital health transformation agenda to create a connected, secure, intelligent, collaborative and trusted ecosystem linking disease surveillance, epidemic intelligence and primary health care, said Tajudeen.
Rwanda’s Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana said by leveraging digital health, it would ensure early detection of diseases using smart tech and support better clinical decision-making, real-time outbreak monitoring and prescriptions as well as health systems that are both resilient and inclusive.
“We have two choices: to slow down the speed of technology, or to run fast and catch up so we move together,” he said.
“Imagine a minister sitting in one room and seeing what’s happening across hospitals; a mother bleeding during childbirth and you can call for help instantly. That’s what health tech should do for us: detect quickly, prevent before catastrophe happens,” he added.
Ivan Ntwali, the country director of the Mastercard Foundation in Rwanda, mentioned the need to put equity, inclusion and opportunity at the heart of the continent’s health transformation journey.
Held under the theme “Connected Care: Scaling Innovation Towards UHC,” or Universal Health Coverage, the forum, which runs through Wednesday, has drawn experts and policymakers from across Africa to explore how technology can revolutionize health care on the continent.
Ozonnia Ojielo, the UN Resident Coordinator in Rwanda, said technological ingenuity must ensure that all people have access to quality health services when and where they need them, without financial hardship and leaving no one behind.