Mobile Phones to Serve as Doctors in Developing Countries
"There are 2.2 billion mobile phones in the developing world, 305 million computers but only 11 million hospital beds," said Terry Kramer, strategy director at British operator Vodafone at the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona this week. That's why Vodafone, along with the United Nations and the Rockerfeller Foundation's mHealth Alliance have banded together to advance the use of mobile phones to better aid those in need of healthcare in the developing world.
The Partnership
The new alliance wants to guide governments, NGOs, and mobile firms on how mobile technology can be used to help save lives.
Already, mobile technology is providing and augmenting healthcare initiatives throughout the world. In a recent study released by the UN and Vodafone titled, "mHealth for Development: The Opportunity of Mobile Technology for Healthcare in the Developing World," over 50 of these types of initiatives throughout 26 countries were discussed. The biggest adopters of mobile technology were India with 11 projects and South Africa and Uganda with 6 each.
Examples of the mHealth projects included:
- Sending mobile phone owners updates on diseases via SMS.
- Letting health workers in Uganda log data on mobile devices from the field.
- In South Africa, the SIMpill is a sensor-equipped pill bottle with a SIM card that informs doctors whether patients are taking their tuberculosis medicine.
- In Uganda, a multiple-choice quiz about HIV/AIDS was sent to 15,000 subscribers inviting them to answer questions and seek tests. Those who completed the quiz were given free airtime minutes. At the end of the quiz, a final SMS encouraged participants to go for voluntary testing. The number of people who did so increased from 1000 to 1400 over a 6-week period.
- In the Amazonas state of Brazil, health workers filled in surveys on their phones about the incidences of mosquito-borne dengue fever.
- In Mexico, a medical hotline called MedicallHome lets patients send medical questions via SMS.
The Power of Mobile Technology
But beyond just the altruistic aspects of mobile healthcare, the UN report also demonstrated to mobile operators how programs such as these could provide value to the industry. That, said UN/Vodafone Foundation Partnership head Claire Thwaites, was a crucial step since the industry, like many others today, stands at the edge of a downturn.
Because mobile technology is relatively cheap and easy to spread, it can connect the rural areas that desperately need healthcare with the large populations of doctors who live in the urban centers. For example, "in India," said Dan Warren, director of technology for the GSM Association, the umbrella organization that hosts the MWC, "there are 1m people that die each year purely because they can't get access to basic healthcare. The converse angle to that is that 80% of doctors live in cities, not serving the broader rural communities where 800 million people live."
Some Drawbacks
Using mobile technology is not a panacea for the world's health issues, though. Says Forrester analyst Elizabeth Boehm, one of the biggest issues with mobile healthcare is that "the people who are most in need of healthcare are usually more aged, so they don't use the mobile or they're not comfortable with it." This limits the use of mobile phones in public health information campaigns.
However, as the technology continues to spread throughout the world, it's easy to see how, over the course of time, phones could become a "doctor in your pocket" for the less fortunate citizens of our world.
Image Credits: UN Foundation & IDRC
Share
Facebook
Comments
Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all ReadWriteWeb posts
There are 2.2 billion mobile phones in the developing world, 305 million computers but only 11 million hospital beds...
Posted by: Sarah Perez
|
February 20, 2009 8:00 AM
Percentagewise, how does the compare to the developed world?
Posted by: Andy Bakun
|
February 20, 2009 8:41 AM
in the country which i live now, Nederland(holland) you should talk about what will help the doctors to be at least a doctor. most of the doctor in Nederland dont have reponsibillity as doctor for pationts.
Posted by: amir mojiri
|
February 20, 2009 8:51 AM
good said
"2.2 billion mobile phones in the developing world, 305 million computers but only 11 million hospital beds"
free jquery demo
http://www.csscody.com/demo
Medical care is often incomplete without physical contact between doctor and patient. While it may seem to be slightly beneficial to use technology, developing countries would be most benefited by producing their own doctors and paramedics.
Nothing beats education
My wife is Kenyan and her friends tell of visiting the smallest of villages with no electricity yet the people have cel phones. Somalia has no government and is in social upheaval yet they have a cel phones. It's the one way to reach nearly all people.
The mobile technology is relatively cheap and easy to spread, it can connect the rural areas that desperately need healthcare with the large populations of doctors who live in the urban centers...
Reverse Phone Detective,Find phone number, Get Phone number information e.t.c
Find out the owner of any cell phone or unlisted number. Results include name,
address, carrier, and other details when available. Your search is confidential.
http://atezaz.phonesrch.hop.clickbank.net
in the country which i live now, Nederland(holland) you should talk about what will help the doctors to be at least a doctor.
This looks very good and well made.
nereye kadar
thanksssssssssss
Medical care is often incomplete without physical contact between doctor and patient. While it may seem to be slightly beneficial to use technology, developing countries would be most benefited by producing their own doctors and paramedics....
Luckily there is the phone to communicate with Somalia because the country is so sadly underdeveloped.
All health care workers need to be safe from any outbreak of human conflict in 3rd world countries. Every doctor or health care representative needs to have special readily assistance from support of other workers and security. Unfortunately they are always the last to be supported from other organizations. A poll done in 2007 reported most health care workers without a phone are less likely to serve in the countries 5 to 1.This is a very small price to pay to give support to the individuals that give so much of themselves.
The phone is the best way of communication with third world countries including Somalia, which remains an underdeveloped country.