As Africa’s health industry takes a new level we forget to include the mHealth apps in Africa.
These are the apps that have made the health industry bearable and has connected so many people to health professionals that was harder before. According to a GSMA report, in 2016, 46% of the population in Africa had actually subscribed to mobile service providers. 725 million unique subscribers are expected to have subscribed by 2020. As the number increase it is clear that the health industry is taking big strides in the tech industry.
1. Vula Mobile
This is one of the only mobile platforms in Africa that allows their patients to do eye tests and capture a brief medical history before sending it directly to a specialist. It has been able to save time for the specialists and patients at the same time since it gives the specialist more control over which patients are referred to them, allowing them to reduce unnecessary referrals and prioritise the urgent ones.
2. Omomi
It is a known fact that new mothers and mothers in general fuss about their children’s health. From the time they are born they tend to get sick easily and this can be overwhelming for any mother. OMOMI is an app that helps parents track their children’s health. The OMOMI app, parents can track their child’s immunization status, manage diarrhea at home with interactive DIY platform and access to speak to our doctors as well as other parents.
3. Apply Saude
It’s an Angolan app that was built for people who are interested in the health establishments in Angola, doctors and products available in the best pharmacies in Angola.
4. Gifted mom
This app was developed in Cameroon after noticing an overwhelming high mortality rate. The app was created in a way that uses low cost technologies to improve the health conditions of pregnant women and new-borns in undeserved and poor communities. The service provides automated SMS alerts to subscribers and helps individuals track their own antenatal care. Gifted Mom also works with health providers and medical students to create profiles for pregnant women.
When our own systems seemed to have failed in different ways it seems that the best fall back plan is technology. Technology enables us to move forward and startup like these are a great way to help the unfortunate and probably revive our economies.
