[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":324},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-senators-dont-understand-facebook-will-make-sense-digital-health":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":188,"relatedBooks":323},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":32,"project_category":53,"contact_email_category":54,"yst_prominent_words":55,"class_list":60,"better_featured_image":88,"acf":124,"yoast_meta":133,"_links":135},17664,"2018-04-14T11:54:42","2018-04-14T09:54:42",{"rendered":9},"http:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?p=17664","2022-05-25T17:40:46","2022-05-25T15:40:46","senators-dont-understand-facebook-will-make-sense-digital-health","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fsenators-dont-understand-facebook-will-make-sense-digital-health",{"rendered":17},"If Senators Don’t Understand Facebook, How Will They Make Sense Of Digital Health?",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2018. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Mark Zuckerberg’s testimonial in front of US lawmakers not only marks the significance of the data privacy scandal around Cambridge Analytica and Facebook but also shows how partially policy-makers understand the operation of that social media platform. If their notion about such a massive part of the technology world is so incomplete, what can we expect when artificial intelligence, bioterrorism, robotic arms, exoskeletons or other elements of digital health will be put on the table?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003C!--more-->\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>The importance of being the regulator the tech world needs\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Mark Zuckerberg faced a two-day congressional hearing – one before the Senate and another before the House of Representatives – in mid-April in response to the revelations that Cambridge Analytica, a British data-mining firm affiliated with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, harvested personal information from more than 87 million Facebook users – \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.dailymail.co.uk\u002Fsciencetech\u002Farticle-5604277\u002FMark-Zuckerberg-admits-personal-data-given-Cambridge-Analytica.html\">among them Mark Zuckerberg’s\u003C\u002Fa> – in an attempt to influence the results of the US presidential elections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The issues at hand are of paramount importance. Users, regulators, and policymakers should know what Facebook knows about them, whether there is any discrepancy between what Facebook says it knows and the actual amount of data it gathers; and what Facebook lets advertisers do with the harvested information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Zuckerberg appeared before the deputies for the first time, which also signifies the gravity of the events. And not just the fact that regulators show their interest in the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal is essential, but also the way the US lawmakers will handle the case might determine many other possibly similar instances. And might also have implications for the entire technology universe. However, that’s where the problems begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-17665\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"490\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-privacy-scandal-congress-washington-usa-10-apr-2018.jpg\" alt=\"Facebook\" class=\"wp-image-17665\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-privacy-scandal-congress-washington-usa-10-apr-2018.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-privacy-scandal-congress-washington-usa-10-apr-2018-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-privacy-scandal-congress-washington-usa-10-apr-2018-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-privacy-scandal-congress-washington-usa-10-apr-2018-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-privacy-scandal-congress-washington-usa-10-apr-2018-444x250.jpg 444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Mandatory Credit: Photo by Andrew Harnik\u002FAP\u002FREX\u002FShutterstock (9622942o)\u003Cbr>Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify before a joint hearing of the Commerce and Judiciary Committees on Capitol Hill in Washington, about the use of Facebook data to target American voters in the 2016 election\u003Cbr>Facebook Privacy Scandal Congress, Washington, USA – 10 Apr 2018\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>How well do policy-makers understand technology?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>„Almost feel bad for Zuckerberg. There’s no way he left that room full of old people without having to set up their WiFi”, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ftwitter.com\u002FStephenAtHome\u002Fstatus\u002F983874810370510849\">tweeted Stephen Colbert\u003C\u002Fa> after the Congressional Hearing on 10 April. Many people joked around Twitter about the phenomenon how the older generation has less to do with technology than the youngsters – and there was a visible age gap between members of Congress and the Facebook CEO, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>That would not have been a problem if the questions of members of Congress had shown evident competence. Even though there were some members of the Senate as well as the House of Representatives who asked relevant questions and displayed their knowledge and interest, unfortunately, the main takeaway from the congressional hearings was that politicians understand little of how the tech world works. Sometimes, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theverge.com\u002F2018\u002F4\u002F11\u002F17224184\u002Ffacebook-mark-zuckerberg-congress-senators\">when questions like the one about how Facebook can sustain itself when it offers their services for free popped up online after the hearing\u003C\u002Fa>, it was difficult to decide whether it is just a meme or someone indeed asked Zuckerberg that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>After having followed the congressional hearing, The Medical Futurist has a well-founded fear that if politicians and lawmakers have so much trouble with the data management issues of a social media site (and make no mistake here, we are aware that it is a complicated topic), how will they regulate digital health issues? \u003Cstrong>How will they deal with artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality or healthcare apps?\u003C\u002Fstrong> How will they handle topics where human lives are at stake?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-17666\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fzuckerberg-testifies.jpg\" alt=\"Facebook\" class=\"wp-image-17666\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fzuckerberg-testifies.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fzuckerberg-testifies-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fzuckerberg-testifies-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fzuckerberg-testifies-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fzuckerberg-testifies-444x250.jpg 444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (L) speaks with Senator John Thune (C), R-SD, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R), R-IA following a joint hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill April 10, 2018, in Washington, DC.(AFP Photo)\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>What will policy-makers and politicians make of \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fscience-fiction-prepares-you-for-dream-worlds-and-ethical-apocalypses\u002F\">\u003Cstrong>sci-fi-like healthcare\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cstrong>?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>How could we expect policy-makers to make the best decisions when it comes to complex ethical issues regarding the 3D printing of synthetic tissues, autonomous surgical robots or the use of artificial intelligence in diagnostics when they tend to react \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theatlantic.com\u002Ftechnology\u002Farchive\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fthe-strangest-moments-from-the-zuckerberg-testimony\u002F557672\u002F?utm_source=atlfb\">with such simplistic views to Facebook\u003C\u002Fa>? How will they deal \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fwhy-people-should-not-fear-digital-health\u002F\">with fears about digital technologies in healthcare\u003C\u002Fa>?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Take the example of nanotechnology. In the future, patients will swallow tiny cameras and pills containing microchips for checking whether they took the medication. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fedition.cnn.com\u002F2017\u002F11\u002F14\u002Fhealth\u002Ffda-digital-pill-abilify\u002Findex.html\">granted a green light for the first pill with a digital ingestion tracking system in 2017\u003C\u002Fa>. Biometric tattoos such as VivaLNK’s eSkin Tattoo can transmit medical information discreetly. RFID or Radio Frequency Identification chips can be implanted under the skin and serve as an identification device. Very soon, patients and doctors will need clear guidance and protection so that the tools will not harm them – neither regarding harvesting their data or their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Look at the possibilities of \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdisruptive-technologies-bioterrorism\u002F\">bioterrorism\u003C\u002Fa>. A \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.theregister.co.uk\u002F2011\u002F10\u002F27\u002Ffatal_insulin_pump_attack\u002F\">researcher from the McAfee tech company demonstrated\u003C\u002Fa> at a conference in Miami how insulin pumps might be hacked to deliver fatal doses to diabetes patients. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.wired.com\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fmedical-devices-that-are-vulnerable-to-life-threatening-hacks\u002F#slide-1\">Security threats are prevalent\u003C\u002Fa> in the case of X-ray systems, blood refrigeration units, CT scanning equipment, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) or implantable neurological devices. Where are the regulatory guarantees, the necessary controls – or the possible sanctions for wrong-doers?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"658\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fvideo-game-inspired-prosthetic-technology-for-amputee.jpg\" alt=\"Facebook\" class=\"wp-image-17667\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fvideo-game-inspired-prosthetic-technology-for-amputee.jpg 658w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fvideo-game-inspired-prosthetic-technology-for-amputee-512x342.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Fvideo-game-inspired-prosthetic-technology-for-amputee-375x250.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 658px) 100vw, 658px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Policy-makers should watch and read science fiction\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>These issues are already here, although it would be beneficial to look a bit further ahead; and consider what might happen when healthy people wish to change their completely healthy hand for a bionic one – because that could enrich their lives more. Or when people start to experiment with DIY CRISPR methods. Oh, wait, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fscience\u002Faudio\u002F2017\u002Fdec\u002F20\u002Fdiy-crispr-biohacking-your-own-genome-science-weekly-podcast\">that’s already happening\u003C\u002Fa>, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In an ideal world, policy-makers are ahead of people and show the way forward. In a perfect world, they are not caught up in the daily shenanigans of politics, but concentrate on policy and have the greater good in front of their eyes. But even if they are not there, they should at least try their best to catch up. In that case, or in any case for that matter, The Medical Futurist recommends them to watch and read science fiction. Because the future is here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Policy-makers Should Watch Science Fiction - The Medical Futurist\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FiVl6lgCAKOY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As Max Evans on The Medium put it, we view the digital age as a partnership when in reality it is very much going to be an extension of who we are and how we operate. Now more than ever we need lawmakers and citizens to be cognizant of how important it is we appreciate the world we’re in now. Not entering, we’re in it. Right now, we’re at the first few hurdles to our next ascension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Mark Zuckerberg’s testimonial in front of US lawmakers not only marks the significance of the data privacy scandal around Cambridge Analytica and Facebook but also shows how partially policy-makers understand the operation of that social media platform. If their notion about such a massive part of the technology world is so incomplete, what can we expect when artificial intelligence, bioterrorism, robotic arms, exoskeletons or other elements of digital health will be put on the table?\u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,17675,"closed",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31],800,[33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52],827,329,867,381,868,383,869,547,196,558,207,687,229,703,234,767,246,271,826,275,[],[],[56,57,58,59],1617,1715,1883,2027,[61,14,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87],"post-17664","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare-policy","tag-health-policy","tag-nanotechnology","tag-cambridge-analytica","tag-sci-fi","tag-law","tag-science-fiction","tag-regulation","tag-policy-making","tag-data-2","tag-bioterrorism","tag-digital-health","tag-data-privacy","tag-ethics","tag-data-breach","tag-facebook-2","tag-data-analytics","tag-future","tag-health","tag-policy","tag-healthcare",{"id":24,"alt_text":27,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":89,"media_details":90,"post":5,"source_url":123},"image",{"width":91,"height":92,"file":93,"sizes":94,"image_meta":120},870,435,"2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-zuckerberg-trial-ap-57.jpg",{"medium":95,"large":101,"thumbnail":106,"medium_large":110,"large_old_512x256":111,"medium_old_458x229":116},{"file":96,"width":97,"height":98,"mime-type":99,"source_url":100},"facebook-zuckerberg-trial-ap-57-370x208.jpg",370,208,"image\u002Fjpeg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-zuckerberg-trial-ap-57-370x208.jpg",{"file":102,"width":103,"height":104,"mime-type":99,"source_url":105},"facebook-zuckerberg-trial-ap-57-768x384.jpg",768,384,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-zuckerberg-trial-ap-57-768x384.jpg",{"file":107,"width":108,"height":108,"mime-type":99,"source_url":109},"facebook-zuckerberg-trial-ap-57-150x150.jpg",150,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-zuckerberg-trial-ap-57-150x150.jpg",{"file":102,"width":103,"height":104,"mime-type":99,"source_url":105},{"file":112,"width":113,"height":114,"mime-type":99,"source_url":115},"facebook-zuckerberg-trial-ap-57-512x256.jpg",512,256,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-zuckerberg-trial-ap-57-512x256.jpg",{"file":117,"width":118,"height":45,"mime-type":99,"source_url":119},"facebook-zuckerberg-trial-ap-57-458x229.jpg",458,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-zuckerberg-trial-ap-57-458x229.jpg",{"aperture":121,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":121,"copyright":27,"focal_length":121,"iso":121,"shutter_speed":121,"title":27,"orientation":121,"keywords":122},"0",[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F04\u002Ffacebook-zuckerberg-trial-ap-57.jpg",{"related_posts":125,"related_posts_footer":129,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20},[126,127,128],17293,20908,16626,[130,131,132],17277,16392,20658,{"yoast_wpseo_title":134,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":27,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"If Senators Don't Understand Facebook, How Will They Make Sense Of Digital Health? - The Medical Futurist",{"self":136,"collection":142,"about":145,"author":148,"replies":151,"version-history":154,"predecessor-version":158,"wp:featuredmedia":162,"wp:attachment":165,"wp:term":168,"curies":184},[137],{"href":138,"targetHints":139},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F17664",{"allow":140},[141],"GET",[143],{"href":144},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[146],{"href":147},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[149],{"embeddable":26,"href":150},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F6",[152],{"embeddable":26,"href":153},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=17664",[155],{"count":156,"href":157},20,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F17664\u002Frevisions",[159],{"id":160,"href":161},46419,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F17664\u002Frevisions\u002F46419",[163],{"embeddable":26,"href":164},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F17675",[166],{"href":167},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=17664",[169,172,175,178,181],{"taxonomy":170,"embeddable":26,"href":171},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=17664",{"taxonomy":173,"embeddable":26,"href":174},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=17664",{"taxonomy":176,"embeddable":26,"href":177},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=17664",{"taxonomy":179,"embeddable":26,"href":180},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=17664",{"taxonomy":182,"embeddable":26,"href":183},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=17664",[185],{"name":186,"href":187,"templated":26},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[189],{"id":132,"date":190,"date_gmt":191,"guid":192,"modified":194,"modified_gmt":195,"slug":196,"status":13,"type":14,"link":197,"title":198,"content":200,"excerpt":202,"author":23,"featured_media":204,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":205,"categories":206,"tags":208,"project_category":219,"contact_email_category":220,"yst_prominent_words":221,"class_list":231,"better_featured_image":244,"acf":274,"yoast_meta":278,"_links":281},"2018-06-05T16:36:06","2018-06-05T14:36:06",{"rendered":193},"http:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?p=20658","2022-05-25T17:46:34","2022-05-25T15:46:34","africa-hotspot-digital-health","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fafrica-hotspot-digital-health",{"rendered":199},"Africa Is A Hotspot For Digital Health",{"rendered":201,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2018. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Digital health in Africa is booming, and that’s the greatest news since the invention of broadband internet connection. The flourishing of disruptive solutions might go down to the fact that instead of relying on traditional infrastructure and a conventional healthcare system, populations in Africa need cheap, easily accessible and genuine problem-solving technologies. Why, when and how have they got there? Read on!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003C!--more-->\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Disrupted infrastructure should be …\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Africa has the world’s worst health record. \u003Cstrong>The birth-continent of the homo sapiens bears \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.weforum.org\u002Fagenda\u002F2015\u002F01\u002F3-ways-to-improve-healthcare-in-africa\u002F\">one-quarter of the global disease burden,\u003C\u002Fa> yet it spends only 1 percent of the worldwide health expenditure and has only 3 percent of the world’s health workers\u003C\u002Fstrong>. According to the WHO, the regions, where there is \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.who.int\u002Fgho\u002Fhealth_workforce\u002Fphysicians_density\u002Fen\u002F\">more than one physician for less than 1,000 patients\u003C\u002Fa>, are rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>There are even extremities that are incomprehensible to anyone living in a luckier part of the world. For example, one of the poorest countries in the world, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.irinnews.org\u002Freport\u002F89186\u002Fafrica-ten-countries-desperately-seeking-doctors\">Mozambique, has just 548 doctors for a population of more than 22 million\u003C\u002Fa>. One of Africa’s most populous nations, Ethiopia is extremely short of doctors, with fewer than one doctor for every 36,407 people. Niger has just 288 doctors for a population of 14 million and one of the worst health crises in the world. Moreover, almost 90 percent of health workers are in cities – leaving rural areas with 885 medical staff, according to 2008 Health Ministry data; 40 percent of all health workers operate in the capital, Niamey. These ratios are not strange for other parts of the continent either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As it is painfully visible, \u003Cstrong>the region lacks the infrastructure to provide even basic health care to many of its people. There are hardly any doctors or nurses, only a handful of good hospitals and appropriate hospital beds; there is a lack of medical devices\u003C\u002Fstrong>. It is even more difficult to speak about specialists. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rvo.nl\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002FMarket_Study_Health_Nigeria.pdf\">estimates there are about 25 consultant oncologists to approximately 160 million Nigerians\u003C\u002Fa>, while there is \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdigital-future-pathology\u002F\">only one pathologist for every 700,000 patient in Sudan\u003C\u002Fa>. In Uganda, the job is basically non-existent: statistics enumerate 1,555,000 patients per pathologist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-20659\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fpatient-per-doctor-map.jpg\" alt=\"digital health in Africa\" class=\"wp-image-20659\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fpatient-per-doctor-map.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fpatient-per-doctor-map-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fpatient-per-doctor-map-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fpatient-per-doctor-map-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fpatient-per-doctor-map-444x250.jpg 444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>The Patient Per Doctor Map of The World. Source: http:\u002F\u002Fbigthink.com\u002Fstrange-maps\u002F185-the-patients-per-doctor-map-of-the-world\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>… aided by disruptive technologies\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>However, as long as many countries even struggle with having electricity or clean water, those \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rvo.nl\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002FMarket_Study_Health_Nigeria.pdf\">having the means travel abroad for medical treatment\u003C\u002Fa>, and \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.reuters.com\u002Farticle\u002Fus-african-doctors-migration\u002Fdoctor-brain-drain-costs-africa-2-billion-idUSTRE7AO00O20111125\">the brightest doctors leave for good\u003C\u002Fa>, the improvement of health conditions has to come from unexpected places.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And it does. It comes from disruptive technologies which use the creative mind rather than abundant resources to solve problems. \u003Cstrong>Mobile phones. Apps. Tablets. Telemedicine. 3D printing. Medical drones. Solutions which mostly by-pass traditional infrastructures or national regulations and cost less than the usual medical equipment\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As you cannot go to the doctor because the nearest one is two-hundred miles away, you will gladly use the telemedicinal app on your phone to talk to a physician. As you cannot be sure whether you will receive counterfeit medicine, you will definitely use your mobile phone to figure it out. Although a systemic change in Africa is further down the road, sometimes an average consumer in Germany or the US can feel the era of digital technologies later than in villages in Rwanda or Kenya. What can we discern from all of that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"670\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fman-standing-on-bathroom-scale.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20670\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fman-standing-on-bathroom-scale.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fman-standing-on-bathroom-scale-768x591.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fman-standing-on-bathroom-scale-512x394.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fman-standing-on-bathroom-scale-325x250.jpg 325w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Real needs spark innovation\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Necessity is the mother of invention – and the saying is incredibly valid for Africa. While in the developed world, it is sexy to innovate and bring new ideas to the market to make people’s lives easier, \u003Cstrong>in Africa, innovation might mean the chance to beat everyday challenges and to ensure basic conditions for the life of large populations\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Digital technologies are spreading like wildfire especially because they allow the jump from no infrastructure to the fourth industrial revolution without investment in traditional infrastructures and the need for conventional social circuits – which are often disrupted in many places of the continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Over the last 15 years, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.weforum.org\u002Fagenda\u002F2016\u002F01\u002Fis-africa-leading-the-innovation-revolution\u002F\">African economies have enjoyed growth above the global average\u003C\u002Fa>, which comes down to mineral agriculture linked to China’s demand for raw materials as much as to a \u003Cstrong>technological revolution\u003C\u002Fstrong>. \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fdisrupt-africa.com\u002F2016\u002F01\u002Fafrican-tech-startups-raised-funding-in-excess-of-us185-7m-in-2015\u002F\">Disrupt Africa\u003C\u002Fa> reports that in 2015, African technology startups received over $185 million in funding, and pharma companies see a growing potential in the continent as they are \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedcitynews.com\u002F2016\u002F02\u002Fdigital-health-startups-in-africa\u002F\">supporting more and more digital health start-up incubators\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>By 2020, there will be \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fworld\u002F2016\u002Fjul\u002F25\u002Fcan-the-internet-reboot-africa\">more than 700m smartphone connections in Africa\u003C\u002Fa> – more than twice the projected number in North America and not far from the total in Europe, according to GSMA, an association of mobile phone operators. In Nigeria alone, 16 smartphones are sold every minute, while \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.cisco.com\u002Fc\u002Fen\u002Fus\u002Fsolutions\u002Fcollateral\u002Fservice-provider\u002Fvisual-networking-index-vni\u002Fmobile-white-paper-c11-520862.html\">mobile data traffic across Africa is set to increase 15-fold by 2020\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-20661\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"435\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Ftechnology-for-africa.jpg\" alt=\"digital health in Africa\" class=\"wp-image-20661\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Ftechnology-for-africa.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Ftechnology-for-africa-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Ftechnology-for-africa-512x256.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Ftechnology-for-africa-458x229.jpg 458w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: www.huffingtonpost.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>SMS for Africa\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Smartphones and access to broadband internet connection are potent tools for innovation, and due to the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.economist.com\u002Fspecial-report\u002F2017\u002F11\u002F09\u002Fbeefing-up-mobile-phone-and-internet-penetration-in-africa\">undersea internet cables encircling Africa\u003C\u002Fa>, the continent gets more and more connected\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Mobile phone solutions popped up for almost everything ranging from the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fworld\u002F2012\u002Faug\u002F26\u002Fafrica-innovations-transform-continent\">iCow app to help farmers get advice\u003C\u002Fa> until one of the biggest \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nature.com\u002Farticles\u002Fd41586-018-05259-x\">long-term experiments with universal basic income\u003C\u002Fa>. More than 21 thousand people in Kenya receive 2,250 Kenyan shillings, one-quarter to half of the average salary in Bomet County, one of the poorest in Kenya, every month for the next 12 years. It’s courtesy of the US-based charity \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.givedirectly.org\u002F\">GiveDirectly\u003C\u002Fa>, which is studying the effects of handing people lumps of cash with no strings attached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Regarding healthcare, mobile phones and smartphone apps mean basic access to care and better management of scarce resources\u003C\u002Fstrong>. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.weforum.org\u002Fagenda\u002F2015\u002F01\u002F3-ways-to-improve-healthcare-in-africa\u002F\">Around 27,000 government health workers in Uganda use a mobile health system called mTRAC to report on medicine stocks across the country\u003C\u002Fa>. Novartis is also working on an mHealth pilot in Nairobi and Mombasa to understand the supply chain cycle better and build capabilities to ensure medicines reach patients in need. Through this initiative, pharmacists register their patients for surveys via SMS. The survey results then help map out where patients are located to redistribute medicines to areas in need. Mobile \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Finsights.samsung.com\u002F2016\u002F08\u002F02\u002Fhow-mobile-penetration-is-increasing-access-to-healthcare-in-sub-saharan-africa\u002F\">healthcare solutions\u003C\u002Fa> such as Kenya’s \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fdisrupt-africa.com\u002F2015\u002F06\u002Fkenyas-miti-health-hopes-for-unreasonable-access-to-mentors-markets\u002F\">Miti Health\u003C\u002Fa> and Ghana’s \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fmpedigree.net\u002F\">mPedigree\u003C\u002Fa> are helping to improve the drug supply chain by validating prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-20660\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fmobile-phones-in-africa.jpg\" alt=\"digital health in Africa\" class=\"wp-image-20660\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fmobile-phones-in-africa.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fmobile-phones-in-africa-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fmobile-phones-in-africa-512x384.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fmobile-phones-in-africa-333x250.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: www.africlandpost.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Smartphones could also aid diagnostics. Nigerian start-up, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fubenwa.com\u002F\">Ubenwa\u003C\u002Fa> has developed an A.I. algorithm able to diagnose childbirth asphyxia based on an infant’s cry. The smartphone application \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fqz.com\u002F1158185\u002Fnigerian-ai-health-startup-ubenwa-hopes-to-save-thousands-of-babies-lives-every-year\u002F\">analyses the amplitude and frequency patterns of the cry and provides an instant diagnosis\u003C\u002Fa>. As, according to WHO, birth asphyxia is the third highest cause of under-five child deaths and is responsible for almost one million neonatal deaths annually, the solution comes as a real life-saver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Solar power and discarded electronics – lack of resources call for creativity\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In many cases, it does not even go down to financial resources, but necessary infrastructure. You could have a state-of-the-art MRI machine, but if you cannot turn the lights on due to the lack of electricity, you can only use it as a flower pot holder. While accessibility is a massive problem for smartphones and the internet in Africa, too, statistics show that \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.weforum.org\u002Fagenda\u002F2016\u002F01\u002Fis-africa-leading-the-innovation-revolution\u002F\">mobile phone penetration is surpassing electricity penetration in many countries\u003C\u002Fa> – and it will be even more so in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And \u003Cstrong>what if you search for different resources such as solar power or discarded electronics\u003C\u002Fstrong>? Botswana-based \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.deaftronics.com\u002F\">Deaftronics\u003C\u002Fa> manufactured the first solar-powered hearing aid unit, Solar Ear. This technology is game-changing in a country where there are only 12 audiologists and five audiology centers for a population of over two million. The 22-year-old \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fsanga-m-c-kanthema-8066a5131\u002F\">Sanga Kathema\u003C\u002Fa> from Malawi uses discarded electronics to build low-cost wireless heart diagnostic systems. The device applies two methodologies for measuring and monitoring the heart; electrograph and digital stethoscope. Both solutions are great for helping people in remote areas not having access to doctors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wireless Cardiodiagnosis System\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002F4hCPzIORtgo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Smart jackets for portable diagnostics, e-waste as material for 3D-printers\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In Tanzania, GE is working with the Ifakara Health Institute to provide health workers with portable ultrasound devices that will be used by midwives and nurses to assess the wellbeing of pregnant women in rural areas. And cutting-edge research is testing how to extract the data necessary to perform blood analysis \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002F1.usa.gov\u002F1LuwQ50\">with only a smartphone attachment\u003C\u002Fa>, useful to telemedicine or rural treatment. A Ugandan engineering student, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fturyabagye-brian-95251363\u002F\">Brian Turyabagye\u003C\u002Fa>, who had to witness how his friend’s grandmother was misdiagnosed with malaria instead of pneumonia, built a smart jacket, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002Fthemamaope?_rdc=1&_rdr\">Mama-Ope\u003C\u002Fa>, to help doctors identify pneumonia faster and more accurately. Mama-Ope or “mother’s hope” measures temperature, breathing rate, and compares it to a database of parameters. The team wants to reduce the alarming statistics with 27,000 Ugandan children dying annually from pneumonia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The \u003Cstrong>endless creativity of African entrepreneurs also facilitates the development of 3D printing – and its easier use for \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-10-most-innovative-health-technologies-saving-millions-in-the-developing-world\u002F\">printing out finger splints, medical devices or prosthetics\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fstrong>. While the \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fenablingthefuture.org\u002F\">e-NABLING the Future project\u003C\u002Fa> allows anyone to download 3D printing designs, video tutorials and other information about building prosthetic hands to enable volunteers, doctors or anyone on the field to create the actual prosthetics; an \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fedition.cnn.com\u002F2017\u002F11\u002F28\u002Fafrica\u002F3d-printer-electronic-waste\u002Findex.html\">innovative lab in Lomé, the capital city of Togo in West Africa, built the first “Made in Africa” 3D printer using e-waste\u003C\u002Fa>. Now, that’s what I call innovation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-20662\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fmama-ope.jpg\" alt=\"Digital health in Africa\" class=\"wp-image-20662\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fmama-ope.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fmama-ope-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fmama-ope-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fmama-ope-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fmama-ope-444x250.jpg 444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: www.guardian.ng\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Less regulation and targeted policies: governments have a huge role in facilitating digital health for Africa\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In 2016, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fmoney.cnn.com\u002F2016\u002F10\u002F13\u002Ftechnology\u002Frwanda-drone-hospital\u002F\">the Rwandan government teamed up with Zipline, a medical drone manufacturing company\u003C\u002Fa> to deliver medical supplies to five of its hospitals. The \u003Cstrong>American start-up appeared earlier on the African market than in the US – as the government supported it and looser regulations allowed it\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Within a year, Zipline plans to expand the program to nearly half of Rwanda’s 45 hospitals. After its Rwandan success, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.theverge.com\u002F2016\u002F8\u002F2\u002F12350274\u002Fzipline-drone-delivery-us-launch-blood-medicine\">the White House reached out to Zipline\u003C\u002Fa>. They expressed interest in delivering medicine and blood to rural parts of the US. Thus, the start-up announced in August 2017 that it brings its system to rural and remote communities in Maryland, Nevada, and Washington, including some Native American reservations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Something similar has been happening with telemedicine in Ghana. While some progress has been made in \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Fpmc\u002Farticles\u002FPMC3709418\u002F\">South Africa, Ethiopia and Mali\u003C\u002Fa>, Ghana’s health service and ministry have committed to scaling up a telemedicine pilot project that has proven successful in one of its regions in increasing access to healthcare. While Novartis Foundation funded the set up of the pilot project, the government will have to ensure the sustainability of the project.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>African governments seem to be aware of the fact how important digital health might be for their communities\u003C\u002Fstrong> in spite of the limitations of authoritarian leadership or rouge state-like lack of regulations in certain places. For example, African leaders gathered at the African Ministerial Dialogue on Digital Health Leadership at the 2017 World Health Assembly to affirm their commitment to digital health and identify the pathway to achieving robust digital health systems in their countries. A coordinated intra-national dialogue? Have you seen anything like it in Europe or the US?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-20663\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fzipline-rwanda.jpg\" alt=\"Digital health in Africa\" class=\"wp-image-20663\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fzipline-rwanda.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fzipline-rwanda-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fzipline-rwanda-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fzipline-rwanda-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fzipline-rwanda-444x250.jpg 444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: www.youtube.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The Medical Futurist is amazed by the creativity and innovative energy of the overall African tech scene and the sensitivity with which they are aiming to solve the acutest healthcare problems. African countries could be held up as examples how out-of-the-box attitudes, smart usage of scarce resources and government flexibility could boost cheap, creative and straightforward healthcare solutions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Feepurl.com\u002FZejiT\">\u003Cb>Subscribe To The Medical Futurist℠ Newsletter\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\u003Cli>News shaping the future of healthcare\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Advice on taking charge of your health\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Reviews of the latest health technology\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"rendered":203,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Digital health in Africa is booming, and that’s the greatest news since the invention of broadband internet connection. The flourishing of disruptive solutions might go down to the fact that instead of relying on traditional infrastructure and a conventional healthcare system, populations in Africa need cheap, easily accessible and genuine problem-solving technologies. Why, when and how have they got there? Read on!\u003C\u002Fp>\n",20667,{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[207,31],521,[209,210,211,212,213,214,215,43,216,49,217,50,52,218],316,322,324,406,130,425,206,526,630,289,[],[],[56,222,223,224,225,58,226,227,228,229,230],1681,1683,1723,1729,2133,2821,3757,4505,1571,[232,14,62,63,64,65,66,233,67,234,235,236,237,238,239,240,78,241,84,242,85,87,243],"post-20658","category-future-medicine","tag-mhealth","tag-mobile-2","tag-mobile-health","tag-smartphone","tag-3d-printing-2","tag-technology-2","tag-digital","tag-africa","tag-digital-technology","tag-innovation",{"id":204,"alt_text":245,"caption":246,"description":27,"media_type":89,"media_details":247,"post":132,"source_url":273},"Digital Health in Africa","Source: www.seafoundation.tg",{"width":91,"height":248,"file":249,"sizes":250,"image_meta":271},490,"2018\u002F06\u002Fafrica-tech.jpg",{"medium":251,"large":254,"thumbnail":258,"medium_large":261,"large_old_512x288":262,"medium_old_444x250":266},{"file":252,"width":97,"height":98,"mime-type":99,"source_url":253},"africa-tech-370x208.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fafrica-tech-370x208.jpg",{"file":255,"width":103,"height":256,"mime-type":99,"source_url":257},"africa-tech-768x433.jpg",433,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fafrica-tech-768x433.jpg",{"file":259,"width":108,"height":108,"mime-type":99,"source_url":260},"africa-tech-150x150.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fafrica-tech-150x150.jpg",{"file":255,"width":103,"height":256,"mime-type":99,"source_url":257},{"file":263,"width":113,"height":264,"mime-type":99,"source_url":265},"africa-tech-512x288.jpg",288,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fafrica-tech-512x288.jpg",{"file":267,"width":268,"height":269,"mime-type":99,"source_url":270},"africa-tech-444x250.jpg",444,250,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fafrica-tech-444x250.jpg",{"aperture":121,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":121,"copyright":27,"focal_length":121,"iso":121,"shutter_speed":121,"title":27,"orientation":121,"keywords":272},[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002Fafrica-tech.jpg",{"related_posts":275,"related_posts_footer":277,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20},[276,126,130],16450,[128,131,127],{"yoast_wpseo_title":279,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":280,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":197},"Africa Is A Hotspot For Digital Health - The Medical Futurist","The great news is digital health in Africa is booming. The Medical Futurist explains why and how have they got there. Read on!",{"self":282,"collection":287,"about":289,"author":291,"replies":293,"version-history":296,"predecessor-version":300,"wp:featuredmedia":304,"wp:attachment":307,"wp:term":310,"curies":321},[283],{"href":284,"targetHints":285},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F20658",{"allow":286},[141],[288],{"href":144},[290],{"href":147},[292],{"embeddable":26,"href":150},[294],{"embeddable":26,"href":295},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=20658",[297],{"count":298,"href":299},17,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F20658\u002Frevisions",[301],{"id":302,"href":303},46434,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F20658\u002Frevisions\u002F46434",[305],{"embeddable":26,"href":306},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F20667",[308],{"href":309},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=20658",[311,313,315,317,319],{"taxonomy":170,"embeddable":26,"href":312},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=20658",{"taxonomy":173,"embeddable":26,"href":314},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=20658",{"taxonomy":176,"embeddable":26,"href":316},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=20658",{"taxonomy":179,"embeddable":26,"href":318},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=20658",{"taxonomy":182,"embeddable":26,"href":320},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=20658",[322],{"name":186,"href":187,"templated":26},[],1786432668916]