Harriet Uwanziga is one of several million Rwandans who have tried the services of digital health service provider Babyl, which supports a global network of patients in 15 countries.
Just three years ago, Babyl partnered with the Rwandan government to build Africa’s first universal digital primary care service, which aims to health care more widely accessible throughout the small East African country.
Babylon relies on the rapid spread of Internet and telephone services throughout Rwanda. Its services include health consultations, doctor appointments and more. Prescriptions, recommendations and payments can all be arranged via SMS messages.
But Uwanziga remains skeptical. “I don’t trust this digital system,” she told DW. “There can be a wrong diagnosis, a patient can experience certain identical symptoms for different diseases. It is better to consult a doctor for a comprehensive check.”
The idea behind Babyl
Babyl Rwanda is aware of the skepticism. But he tries to allay any doubts with an elaborate philosophy that traces back 2,500 years to the ancient city of Babylon.
“Citizens in need of medical advice often gathered in the town square to share opinions on treatments for common ailments,” the company states on its website. “This is one of the earliest examples of the democratization of health care.”
The idea is simple: A registered patient sends an SMS code to schedule an appointment. A doctor calls the patient’s cell phone at the appointed time. The patient’s local pharmacy or healthcare facility will dispense the prescribed medication or perform laboratory tests in accordance with further SMS codes sent via Babyl.
Health points
Calliope Simba is Babyl Rwanda’s medical director and described the company’s rocky road to success.
“It was not easy to break into the market because of the low levels of literacy in digital healthcare services,” Simba told DW. “We have another milestone to reach to make sure everyone in the country understands that doing online consultations is possible.”
Simba hopes that in the long term its services will help ease access to medical services and alleviate a number of problems caused by the sector’s many deficits.
“There is a shortage of human resources in health and we have a doctor-patient ratio of 1 to 80,000,” he said. Moreover, many doctors or nurses would prefer to work in cities, he said. Therefore, digital consultations would make it easier to access services in rural areas.
The role of digitization in development
safety the accessibility of health services remains a major challenge for many African countries. According to the World Health Organization, Africa has an average of three doctors per 10,000 people – compared to Germany which has 84 doctors per 10,000 people.
In African countries, health centers are often far away, equipment is inadequate and services are expensive, according to the Global Perspectives Initiative (GPI), a German NGO working to develop new approaches to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.
Health insurance is rare in Africa where many people have to pay for medical services themselves. In this context, digital services help further reduce costs, such as traveling long distances to see doctors.
Africa leads the way
Hannah Hölscher, project manager for global health at GPI, spoke to DW about how digital technology is helping the development of health services on the continent.
“Life Bank in Nigeria offers a 24/7 service that delivers blood and oxygen straight to your door,” she said. “In Kenya, Suri Health runs a virtual hospital that allows doctor appointments.”
“Africa has a young population, many of these young people are well-educated and well-versed in digital technologies,” Hölscher said. “Forty-one countries have drawn up digital health strategies. There is no such thing in European countries.”
However, financing such programs was still an obstacle, she added, calling for more investment in the sector.
Education is key
Michael Hobbins from the Swiss NGO SolidarMed also highlighted Africa innovative potential. In the health sector, however, he sees great variation between countries and regions.
“You will find hospitals where there is no computer or internet connection and the documentation is kept in large, handwritten books,” Hobbins told DW.
“Sometimes, papers containing data are transported several kilometers for digitization.” Other hospitals, mostly private ones in big cities, had only gone digital, he noted.
Hobbins called for investment in infrastructure and education, noting the risk of reliance digital services in digitally illiterate areas. In such areas, he said, patients would still depend on face-to-face contact.
Hobbins also noted a number of legal issues still to be clarified: Who has the right to patient data, who can access it, how is it protected?
“Digitalization is important in the development of health services, but it is not the key,” said Hobbins.
This article was originally written in German
