This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Wireko Andrew Awuah, a 22 year old and currently a third – year medical student of the Medical institute of Sumy State University in Sumy, Ukraine He is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.
As someone who hails from a developing country like Ghana and for that matter Africa, the use of mobile technology in saving lives is very important.
Many developing countries particularly in Africa lack the necessary infrastructure like good roads, hospitals and other health facilities and adequate human resource to man their health sector.
In my native country, Ghana for example, the ratio of health professionals to patients is woefully inadequate and far below the World Health Organization standards.
Health facilities are virtually not in existence in most of the rural and remote parts of the country.
Patients and those in critical health conditions (like pregnant women & women labour) in such areas trek long distances on deplorable roads before they get to the nearest Health facilities for the necessary treatment.
Some of the patients lose their lives on the way to or as soon as they get to the nearest health facilities as a result of complications due to delays.
However, it is worthy to note that the larger population in Ghana and many parts of the world today have access to mobile phones and other forms Mobile technology.
I must be quick to point out the it isn’t everywhere in Ghana and for that matter Africa that one can access mobile technology services due to the lack of the necessary infrastructure.
A lot of efforts is being done to extend such facilities to places which lack them.
Unlike in the advanced countries of the world, many people in developing countries attend hospitals not by appointment with their doctors. With mobile technology, patients will be able to attend health facilities by appointment. This will reduce the usual congestion and over crowding in health facilities in many health facilities in developing countries.
Patients can also use mobile technology to get in touch with their health facilities for the necessary assistance in times of need.
With mobile technology, people in developing countries in particular can easily call for ambulance services in case of any emergency.
Mobile Technology services through the use of the internet is making the work in many health facilities paper less unlike in the past when a lot of records were written on paper.
This reduces the man hours spent in health facilities.
Mobile technology can always be used in health education, particularly in primary health care. For example, in these days of COVD-19, the use of mobile technology in health education is very essential.
All the above discussed show that the application of mobile technology can help save lives.
It’s therefore paramount for the world to take a serious look at how healthcare systems can be changed with simple technological solutions to save lives particularly in Africa and the developing world.
About the author
Wireko Andrew Awuah is 22 year old and currently a third – year medical student of the Medical institute of Sumy State University in Sumy, Ukraine. He is also currently serving as the President of the Sumy State University branch of the National Union of Ghana Student ( NUGS).
