Telemedicine

Celebrate World Red Cross Day on the 8th of May

No Comments »Written on May 8th, 2012 by jonckie
Categories: Medical, Paramedics and Emergency Medical Response, Telemedicine
Tags: , ,


Every year on the 8th May is marked as the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. This day is celebrated for two reasons. One is for the birthday of the founder of the organisation Mr Henri Dunant and the second reason to celebrate the hard work that all members from the Red Cross and Red Crescent do throughout the year in helping others.

The international committee of the Red Cross was founded in 1863 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Red Cross was started during the war time to help with first aid and to protect the solider or member of public life, no matter the circumstances and would be protected under the International Human Rights Law. The flag for the Red Cross is a Red Cross on a white back ground.

The Red Cross is based all over the world helping in war torn countries and providing medical assistances in countries that have diseases. Feeding schemes are also set up by the Red Cross when natural disaster occurs, giving out food and blankets to the people in the time of need.

In South Africa some schools have been trained by the Red Cross Society in First Aid. There is Red Cross youth groups as well training the youth of today in compassion to human kind.

ER24 would like to thank the Red Cross Society for all the hard work and dedication that they do all year round. Without you some paramedics would have not taken up the calling of Emergency Care and continue the good work that you have shown the world.

Also view:

South African Red Cross

Mobile health services are taken into Africa

No Comments »Written on November 29th, 2011 by jonckie
Categories: Telemedicine
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


SOA developer GlobeTOM to supply ‘next generation’ convergent billing gateway for Sanlam’s mHealth venture into Africa.

In a market driven by unrelenting demand for bandwidth, data and consumer applications, Network Service Providers (NSPs) are at the helm of technological development - often pioneering new and innovative products and services.

To retain existing clients, attract new subscribers and boost revenue streams, NSP’s today also find themselves courting relationships with third party service providers driven by the scent of a rapidly growing market for mobile solutions.

This, says Philip Stander, managing director of telecommunications solutions provider GlobeTOM, is where agile convergent billing platforms play a pivotal role.

“Without a secure pre- and post-paid convergent billing gateway, third party service providers will find the revenue assurance aspect of the mobile market quite complex and challenging,” explains Stander.

The solution is a transparent billing system designed to track multiple billing transactions from various third party providers.

“Convergent billing and revenue assurance in this sense, is as important to third party service providers and NSP’s as a watertight tax collection process is to a government,” he says.

This was the challenge facing Sanlam Health when it joined one of Africa’s largest Network Service Providers to offer mobile health services to large, undeveloped areas in Africa.

To make the project viable, Sanlam Health needed a fair and transparent convergent billing platform to process detailed accounts. Its solution, after evaluating international offerings, was a pre- and post-paid convergent billing gateway called GP3, developed and rolled out locally by GlobeTOM.

“Although we initially evaluated many different and international convergent billing gateways, we opted for GlobeTOM because it has a strong and proven local presence,” says Charl Marais, Sanlam Health General Manager: Business Development.

“Apart from sharing our ethics and values, GlobeTOM shares our belief that mobile applications will shape the ICT industry over the next growth phase in the mobile environment,” he adds. “The company is also big enough to deploy a solution that is world class, but small enough to look after us; they care about our vision and concerns.”

The implementation of the Sanlam mHealth billing gateway proceeds from an agreement signed with GlobeTOM earlier this year to expand Sanlam’s mHealth services into under-developed areas in Africa characterised by high mobile network penetration.

“Through ‘close partnering’ we were able to offer Sanlam Health a subscriber management and revenue assurance solution that met all their specifications and requirements – convergence, next generation integration, a tight deadline and a local presence,” says Stander.

“We are, in that sense, future proofing their convergent mHealth solution with a NSP billing technology abstraction service. It is the ideal solution for a variety of emerging green field services,” he adds.

Further billing gateway applications include services such as insurance and prepaid distribution.

“What they get is a single interface for their business service delivery billing irrespective of the network needed to integrate and deliver the service. The GP3 platform is network agnostic; an ideal platform for service delivery across coexistent but competing networks. It really is a win-win solution for all concerned,” concludes Stander.

About GlobeTOM

GlobeTOM is an ICT company specialising in software development and systems integration. GlobeTOM develops sustainable products and solutions that span convergent billing, network management, loyalty management, WASP technology and business intelligence. GlobeTOM has also developed its own service oriented architecture (SOA) framework that can be applied to any industry for platform development and cloud enablement and is the underlying framework for all of GlobeTOM’s products.

GlobeTOM has deep specialisation as a telecommunications industry product developer and systems integrator, and has been supplying mission-critical software development and support services to two of South Africa’s major network providers since the early 2000’s.

About Sanlam mHealth

Sanlam Health diversification into mHealth markets into the under-developed markets of Africa includes –

• Top-of the range delivery of healthcare products and services with a stress on healthcare education and support
• Referrals to a doctor, pharmacy or other service provider if need be
• Testing and delivering innovative healthcare products and solutions for a NHI environment.

GlobeTOM’s GP3 platform is a complete out-of-the-box pre and post-paid convergent gateway billing engine that offers –

• Subscriber Management – provision subscribers from a master repository or as a component of the overall provisioning chain.
• Voucher Management – manage prepaid voucher batch generation and full voucher life-cycle management.

On-board balance management
• Rating Engine & Rate Plan (Tariff Administrator) – web-based rate plan administration, real-time session and event-based charging and account balance management.
• Revenue Assurance – the generation of highly configurable Charging Data Records.

Also view:

Mobile health industry to be supported by the South African Government

World Health Organization confirms value of mobile health and telemedicine

Are we failing many by condemning telemedicine as unethical?

Insurers not focusing on the benefits of mobile phones in Africa will miss out!

Mobile health industry to be supported by the South African Government

1 Comment »Written on June 13th, 2011 by jonckie
Categories: Medical, Telemedicine
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Earlier today I came across an article by Farzana Rasool on ITWeb titled “Mobile health coming soon”. The message from the article should be interpreted as positive news for the health industry- and we would like to briefly discuss this article and some of the findings made.

Earlier on Insurance Chat we raised concerns that the benefits of telemedicine might not be fully appreciated in South Africa...and that thousands might be neglected by the mere dismissal of telemedicine as unethical!

I would like to quote from this post:

“...the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) condemned telemedicine as unethical. Times Live reported that organisations offering the services of a doctor just a call away were in breach of patients' rights, including the practitioner-patient relationship, patient confidentiality and informed consent, said HPCSA spokesperson Bertha Peters-Scheepers.”

The World Health Organization has however come out in favour of mobile health and telemedicine.

“With more than five billion cellphone subscribers in the world, and 85% of the planet covered by a commercial wireless signal, mHealth is becoming a popular way to strengthen health services.”

The Department of Communication has also addressed some of the concerns and confirmed support for mobile health:

  • Mobile health will play a significant role, as part of e-health initiatives, in realising its ICT strategy, said the Department of Communications (DOC).
  • ICT permits information and knowledge to expand in quantity and accessibility, thus having enormous potential, especially for developing countries, in furthering sustainable development.
  • The Department of Communications’ ICT strategy advocates digital inclusion to ensure there is access to basic services through ICT.
  • “Mobile health can indeed play a significant role as part of e-health initiatives in realising this strategy.”

It has also been confirmed that the Department of Health is in the process of finalising the draft e-health strategy and revising the country's telemedicine strategy. Mobile health (m-health) will find its expression with these strategies.

Advantages of technology for mobile health

  • The advent of mobile technology and the high mobile phone penetration in the country are among the key proponents for mobile health in SA,” said the Deputy Minister of Communications.
  • ”ICT infrastructure is a critical component for e-health development, including m-health. Foreign investment in African telecommunications infrastructure is steadily increasing, and this is hoped to drive the development of mobile health solutions.”

What are the hurdles to the expansion of mobile health?

Deputy Minister Bapela said there are a number of hurdles that SA has to overcome before mobile health becomes part of the mainstream healthcare service delivery. “Paramount to these is the question of affordability, which is very critical for adoption of this emerging technology.”

He added that industry must produce empirical evidence that shows that SA can sustain the use of technology for day-to-day healthcare service, and mobile health must also comply with privacy and confidentiality regulations.

Commitment by Government towards infrastructure development

Bapela said the Independent Communications Authority of SA continues to develop relevant legislation and regulations within the mobile technology arena such as those related to radio frequency spectrum, as well as licensing for mobile operators.

“Our role as government is to create a conducive environment for growth of mobile technologies in SA, so that they can make a meaningful contribution especially to the key priority areas of government such as health, education and job creation.

“We can only do this by ensuring that we develop ICT policies and legislation that create this growth in mobile technologies.”

“As government, we will continue to strive to reduce the digital divide and improve access to ICT for all our people in SA by making meaningful investments towards the necessary resources such as human capital, technical expertise and broadband network infrastructure.”

“We expect mobile health to live beyond pilot projects to the main stream delivery of the needed healthcare services in SA, Africa as a whole and other developing countries.”

Conclusion and Advice

Mobile Health and telemedicine are so much more than providing a prescription over the phone. Mobile health has the potential to provide effective interaction between medical professionals from the most remote and general doctor to the specialist in the city. Modern technology enables the sharing of expertise and discussion far beyond the voice conversation –but also sharing of data, images and live video broadcasting.

This is something that needs to be embraced with open arms. The regulators should accept that this is the medical environment of the future – and that they should be able, with the guidance of the very best medical expertise, to design the protocols and guidelines to guard against the potential pitfalls and dangers!

World Health Organization confirms value of mobile health and telemedicine

No Comments »Written on June 8th, 2011 by jonckie
Categories: Medical, Telemedicine
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,


Eight in 10 countries are using mobile phone technology to improve health services, from free emergency calls to appointment reminders, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.

The global health body found that only 19 of 114 countries surveyed had no mobile health initiative, known as mHealth.

"Eighty three percent are actually saying, yes we are involved with a minimum of one mHealth project," said Misha Kay, who studies cellphone technology for the WHO.

But most of those countries have several projects running, he added.

"So what we're seeing is a fairly healthy groundswell of activity, also considering that we believe that a lot of the reports were understated," he said.

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With more than five billion cellphone subscribers in the world, and 85% of the planet covered by a commercial wireless signal, mHealth is becoming a popular way to strengthen health services.

Speaking at a conference on mobile health in Cape Town, Kay said southeast Asia, the Americas and Europe had the most initiatives but around 75% of surveyed African countries were also using the technology.

Globally, the most common schemes for cellphones were call centres or help-lines, emergency toll-free numbers, and mobile telemedicine - such as doctors consulting one another.

Among the biggest barriers worldwide were cost, a lack of knowledge and health policies that did not recognise mHealth, the study found.

In Africa, the biggest impediments were operating costs and infrastructure, while in Europe concerns centred on the absence of legal guidelines on privacy and confidentiality.

The survey was based on data from a 2009 study by the WHO.

[SAPA]

Also view:

Are we failing many by condemning telemedicine as unethical?

Insurers not focusing on the benefits of mobile phones in Africa will miss out!

Are we failing many by condemning telemedicine as unethical?

2 commentsWritten on May 10th, 2011 by jonckie
Categories: Medical, Telemedicine
Tags: , , , ,

South Africa has a very diverse population – with as diverse a medical history of health services and health providers. It is important for the health professional industry to be aware of advances in technology and how this can benefit many in Africa – and not to merely dismiss such technology as evil, ineffective or the use thereof as unethical.

I must admit to being somewhat surprised at reading that the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) condemned telemedicine as unethical. Times Live reported that organisations offering the services of a doctor just a call away were in breach of patients' rights, including the practitioner-patient relationship, patient confidentiality and informed consent, said HPCSA spokesperson Bertha Peters-Scheepers.

The HPCSA had referred Sanlam [JSE:SLM] and MTN Group [JSE:MTN] telemedicine initiatives and the "Hello Doctor" service to its undesirable business practice committee for consideration.

Concerns about telemedicine and the medical assistance to be provided

As industry watchdog it is important for the HPCSA to guard against any practises that could endanger the lives of South Africans. Similar to the FSB in the financial services industry, the HPCSA will need to investigate and scrutinize operators and the way they perform their services.  It appears from reports on Times Live that the following comments have been made by the HPCSA with reference to telemedicine:

  • The HPCSA called on practitioners not to participate in telemedicine practices and the public not to use them.
  • The HPCSA was concerned about the advice the public might get from these unethical operators, said its acting CEO and registrar Marella O'Reilly.
  • The ethical rules and regulations by the HPCSA are there to protect the public and to guide the professions in providing quality health care to our citizens.
  • As a general rule, a health care practitioner was required to do a physical examination and assess a patient in order to make a diagnosis.
  • The HPCSA said the council would not approve any business model which contravened its ethical rules and regulations and would investigate any health care professional who contravened them.

What exactly is Telemedicine?

Before condemning telemedicine we need to understand what telemedicine is and what the potential or intended reach might be of these services.

I would like to quote from an earlier post titled Insurers not focusing on the benefits of mobile phones in Africa will miss out! International research has revealed some interesting findings on how mobile phones can be used to reach many who have limited or no access to medical doctors.

“Healthcare via mobile phones

It is not only business who is to benefit from the expansion of technology across Africa. There are also new applications in healthcare, and according to the latest research by Frost & Sullivan, health systems in Africa are uniquely positioned to benefit from this mobile revolution.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to help poor countries strengthen their health systems and move towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “Governments in Africa have launched various telemedicine initiatives aimed at extending health services provision,” comments Frost & Sullivan Healthcare Industry Analyst, Ishe Zingoni.

What is Telemedicine?

Telemedicine is essentially the use of ICT to provide health services when the medical professional and patient are separated by distance. “A classic example is that of a specialist located in an urban hospital treating a patient at a distant clinic via e-mail or video conferencing. Telemedicine in this form represents the perfect solution to Africa’s battles with persistent shortage of qualified health professionals,” explains Zingoni.

According to Frost & Sullivan, the mobile phone platform has unlocked unprecedented opportunities for the provision of services to millions of Africans who previously had no access to technology and were virtually unreachable. “The mobile phone is being leveraged to provide services at less than 25% of the cost of traditional healthcare delivery models,” says Zingoni.

How will this impact on South Africa?

If telemedicine can be used effectively elsewhere in the world and in Africa – there should be no reason why this cannot also find a sound and effective application in South Africa. What is needed will be close scrutiny, strict guidelines and enforcement to ensure that the services are not merely a moneymaking initiative.

It is unfortunate to read that the HCPSA have not been very willing to discuss these business models to date. I would like to quote from a report on TimesLive:

"The HPCSA has not returned any of our numerous telephone calls or replied to our letter requesting a meeting to discuss the Hello Doctor business model and the protocols developed by the doctors working on the Hello Doctor telemedicine infrastructure," said spokesman Andy Milne in a statement.

Milne said he found it ironic that the Council was urging the public not to make use of these "unknown offerings" and purported violation of patient rights when the Council itself did not know, nor had it taken the time to enquire from or contact Hello Doctor as to what these offerings were.

He said Hello Doctor fully supported the HPCSA's initiative to regulate telemedicine and would be more than happy to work with them in ensuring that patients and consumers, from all income groups, had the opportunity to receive access to high quality, cost effective and accessible healthcare.

Conclusion

I hope that this is indeed an example that not everything we read is to be trusted. We might be harming the chances of the very poor and most remote of patients if we dismiss telemedicine as unethical without careful investigation and at least consideration to regulating these services under the healthcare umbrella.

It should be possible to improve clinical quality and convenience for consumers and patients by developing advanced technology, medical processes and protocols of the highest standards.

It is a basic human right to received medical care  - and we need to consider all the methods and alternatives that could be used to provide such care!!

Insurers not focusing on the benefits of mobile phones in Africa will miss out!

1 Comment »Written on April 25th, 2011 by jonckie
Categories: Finding Insurance, Life, Medical, Q&A, Telemedicine
Tags: , , , , ,

Mobile phones have changed the way many consumers do business. More and more applications allow for easy and swift mobile payments on smartphones.

Developing countries are not far behind in mobile transactions. The mobile phone technology exists - it is now up to business to bring the business products to the consumer.

What is the reach of mobile phones in Africa?

How many consumers and potential clients can be reached via mobile phones in Africa?

I would like to refer to a report released via Reuters:

“In ten years alone, close to 400 million Africans have acquired mobile phones, representing phenomenal growth from a subscriber base of 80 million in 2001. Telecoms companies have leveraged this substantial level of “cellular“ adoption by investing aggressively in infrastructure, and advancing mobile services and capabilities.

Mobile penetration in sub-Saharan Africa now stands at 49 subscribers per 100 inhabitants, compared to fixed-line penetration of only 16 phone-lines per 100 inhabitants. This demonstrates how Africa has, quite uniquely, managed to leapfrog the telephone-line stage of development, and dive straight into mobile technologies.

The most important implication for suppliers of mobile healthcare solutions is that market access will be easier in Africa than in developed countries due to less stringent, and underdeveloped, regulatory environments.”

Healthcare via mobile phones

It is not only business who is to benefit from the expansion of technology across Africa. There are also new applications in healthcare, and according to the latest research by Frost & Sullivan, health systems in Africa are uniquely positioned to benefit from this mobile revolution.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to help poor countries strengthen their health systems and move towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “Governments in Africa have launched various telemedicine initiatives aimed at extending health services provision,” comments Frost & Sullivan Healthcare Industry Analyst, Ishe Zingoni.

What is Telemedicine?

Telemedicine is essentially the use of ICT to provide health services when the medical professional and patient are separated by distance. “A classic example is that of a specialist located in an urban hospital treating a patient at a distant clinic via e-mail or video conferencing. Telemedicine in this form represents the perfect solution to Africa’s battles with persistent shortage of qualified health professionals,” explains Zingoni.

According to Frost & Sullivan, the mobile phone platform has unlocked unprecedented opportunities for the provision of services to millions of Africans who previously had no access to technology and were virtually unreachable. “The mobile phone is being leveraged to provide services at less than 25% of the cost of traditional healthcare delivery models,” says Zingoni.

Insurance and Mobile phones

Several insurers are following the large South African retailers into Africa. In an earlier post we featured a post titled “MTN and Hollard partner in first mobile money life insurance service in Ghana”

What are the potential for selling insurance? I would like to quote from this post :

“According to a Lloyds study in 2009 the market for efficient, cheap and simple insurance in developing countries is estimated to be between 1.5 and three billion policies. The ubiquity of mobile and strength of the MTN brand makes Mobile Money the ideal platform to deliver financial services in Africa.”

It should be clear that many consumers in Africa can be reached via mobile phones – and insurers will need to be pro-active in pursuing these markets! Those who do not seek to benefit from the explosion in mobile phone technology will do so at their peril!!

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