Health Archives - eHealth Africa

Connect, Learn, Innovate: Why You Should Attend the Insights Learning Forum (ILF) 2024

Posted on July 15, 2024September 5, 2024 by Moshood Isah

Connect, Learn, Innovate: Why You Should Attend ILF 2024

Africa is on the brink of a healthcare transformation, one driven by the power of digital innovation. The Insights Learning Forum (ILF) is at the forefront of this movement, catalyzing collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the development of groundbreaking solutions.

Born from the success of the Insights by eHA webinar series, ILF has rapidly evolved into an indispensable platform for digital and public health professionals. As Dr. David Akpan, Deputy Director of Programs and Partnerships at eHA, aptly stated, “We are building a national collaboration with this forum to advance knowledge and give people the opportunity to learn what other ideas can be incorporated into their digital innovations. This whole essence is to ensure that we are all building people-centered digital solutions that are scalable and interoperable.”

At its core, ILF is a community of passionate individuals united by a shared vision of a healthier Africa. It’s a space where ideas are exchanged, partnerships are forged, and challenges are transformed into opportunities. By bringing together experts from diverse backgrounds, ILF fosters a rich environment for learning and growth.

The 2024 edition of ILF promises to be even more impactful, with a focus on “Digital Transformaton in Public Health Practice: Innovations and Impact.” As Atef Fawaz, eHealth Africa’s executive director, emphasized, “This high-level forum will bring together digital and public health experts from across the world to harness the power of technology and collaboration in pioneering groundbreaking solutions to address the evolving health challenges facing Africa.”

One of the key areas of focus at ILF 2024 is the optimization of geospatial data for disaster response and public health preparedness. By leveraging location-based information, healthcare providers and policymakers can better anticipate and respond to emergencies, saving lives and minimizing the impact of crises.

Another critical theme is mastering public health emergency management. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of robust emergency response plans. ILF 2024 will delve into best practices and strategies for effectively managing public health crises, ensuring that Africa is better prepared for future challenges.

Digital campaigns play a vital role in promoting health and preventing diseases. ILF will explore innovative approaches to digital campaign planning and monitoring, empowering organizations to reach and engage communities effectively. Additionally, the forum will address the challenges and opportunities of disease prevention and surveillance, with a focus on early detection and response.

Food security is a pressing issue in many parts of Africa. ILF 2024 will showcase how digital solutions can be harnessed to improve food production, distribution, and access. Technology indeed can play a crucial role in ensuring that everyone has access to nutritious food.

ILF offers a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, learn from experts, and contribute to building a healthier Africa. Whether you’re a seasoned digital health professional or just starting your journey, there’s something valuable for everyone at this event.

By attending ILF 2024, you’ll gain insights into the latest trends and innovations, network with influential leaders, and leave inspired to make a difference. Join us in shaping the future of healthcare in Africa.

Date: July 31, 2024
Time: 9 AM to 5 PM
Location: Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Nigeria
Register now to attend virtually: https://bit.ly/ILF24-Online

Let’s work together to create a future where technology empowers communities and improves lives.

eHealth Africa’s Digital Innovation Takes Center Stage at the Africa Digital Health Summit (ADHS)

Posted on July 8, 2024August 22, 2024 by Moshood Isah

by Moshood Isah

Nigeria and indeed the African region have continued to endure a series of public health emergencies, with the most recent being the cholera outbreak affecting more than 21 states. These and other issues necessitate engagement that brings stakeholders together to improve disease surveillance and response. One such engagement held recently was the Africa Digital Health Summit (ADHS). The summit is a platform for innovators, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers, regulators, policymakers, and development partners to share knowledge and experience in digital health across Africa.

The 2024 edition of the summit, with the theme “Digital Transformation of Health Systems: What, Why, and How?”, featured industry experts from around the world. In the presence of the Honorable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Commissioner of Health in Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi, eHealth Africa, and other organizations displayed crucial digital health solutions currently being used to address public health emergencies.

During the summit, eHealth Africa hosted a panel session where it discussed a series of digital innovations and how instrumental these solutions have been in public health and disease surveillance. The session, moderated by David Akpan, Deputy Director of Programs and Partnerships, featured Andrew Karlyn, a board member at eHealth Africa; Dr. Emmanuel Agogo, Director of Pandemic Threats at the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND); Dr. Monique Aaron Foster, Deputy Director of Programs at the Sierra Leone Division of Global Health Protection, Global Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Ubong Okon, Deputy Director of Programs and Impact at eHealth Africa; and Motunrayo Bello, Chief Executive Officer of Womenovate.

In the words of Atef Fawaz, the Executive Director of eHealth Africa, after the session, “Digital innovation is the future of health and the world in general. If we want to avoid the next pandemic, we must build on existing digital solutions. Technology has helped in responding to health emergencies in the past, and it will help in the future.”

Another key highlight of the event was the technical session moderated by Kazeem Balogun, Program Manager at eHealth Africa, which featured the demonstration of Electronic Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (eIDSR). As revealed by Deputy Director of Global Health Informatics and ICT Operations, Abdulhamid Yahaya, the eIDSR is an optimized system created to improve the flow of information within health systems. This allows accurate and early detection of disease outbreaks right from the communities to the highest level of intervention. According to Abdulhamid, “This is an opportunity to reignite and energize stakeholders to drive the utilization of the eIDSR solution to improve early detection of disease outbreaks in our communities.”

The demo session was preceded by a technical session on leveraging digital innovation to strengthen early warning systems for early detection of outbreaks using an ecosystem approach, led by Dr. Emmanuel Agogo. He explained the importance of effective data flow during disease surveillance and how it helps in developing early warning systems from the communities to health facilities, state, and national levels.

eHealth Africa team after a panel session at ADHS

While commending the insightful presentations, the Director of Programs and Partnerships at eHealth Africa, Ota Akhigbe, emphasized the need to consider all stakeholders playing an active role in promoting the early detection of disease outbreaks. She said the public sector is crucial in providing population data, while the private sector leverages its capabilities to develop innovative solutions and the academia contributes research to bring out learning points.

To reecho the words of Dr. Tunji Alausa, “Digital health innovation is no longer a luxury but a necessity.” Thus, conversations like this should remain at the forefront of national discourse. The conversation around digital health and the innovative use of digital technology in advancing public health cannot be overstated. In furtherance of this conversation, eHealth Africa is delighted to announce the second edition of the Insights Learning Forum, an annual event dedicated to advancing digital health in public health practice.

The 2024 edition of this high-level forum will be held on July 31st, 2024, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja with the theme “Digital Innovations in Public Health Practice: Innovations and Impact.”

Click here to learn more and register to attend.

#DigitALL: 4 Compelling Reasons to Bridge the Digital Gender Gap in Health

Posted on March 8, 2023August 25, 2024 by Moshood Isah

By Judith Owoicho

The theme for international women’s day 2023 has a clear and loud message for all. It says DigitALL: it is a call for inclusion, a call for a world where innovation and technology can be used by more women and for the needs of more women and girls.

Technology has certainly improved the quality of lives and opened doors to opportunities for many around the world. In healthcare, the rapid transformation of healthcare delivery has offered a range of solutions to improve access to healthcare, reduce costs, and improve health outcomes, but not without ushering in a fresh stream of inequality, especially across gender lines.

Despite the potential and adoption of digital health technologies, it is often limited by gender-based disparities in access, use, and benefits. The effects of this inequality are far-reaching, but primarily it has led to a limited understanding of the healthcare needs of women and other marginalized groups. Achieving gender equity in digital health practice has never been this urgent. Here are 4 reasons we must achieve gender equity in digital health.

1. Innovations tailored to the needs of women

It is not uncommon to see digital health tools and innovations developed with no single woman in the room. This can often leave gaps either out of ignorance or just simply failing to see the priority. Research reveals that most digital tools were typically designed for the universal user: a middle-class male. This shows itself in devices that do not fit well on female bodies or that targeted options like menstrual tracking options not initially included in the smartwatch design.

Women have unique health needs and often experience a range of health issues that are specific to their gender, including menstrual health, reproductive health, and menopause. With more women in these rooms, we can ensure that the needs of women are taken into consideration.

2. Economic growth and productivity

Building digital skills in women and girls can create a path to the labor market through internships, apprenticeships, and job placement programs. The eHA academy has added the all-female cohort to their software development and network engineering training academy so that more young women at the early stages of their career can adopt software development/ design skills. The academy sends them off to internships after the training, creating pathways to economic prosperity. Ensuring that women and girls have equal access to and use of digital technologies — mobile phones, computers, and the internet — is central to their economic and social empowerment and inclusive economic recovery.

3. Reduced disparities in access to healthcare for women

Gender bias is a pervasive problem in healthcare, including in the digital health sector. Without addressing this bias, we risk further driving existing disparities in healthcare access and outcomes. Studies have shown that women use more online health and medical information than men. This could suggest If more women have digital skills, it could reduce disparities in access to healthcare for women. Acquiring digital skills will enable them to access information and resources related to healthcare through the internet and they can be better informed and able to take more control of their own health and make informed decisions.

4. Increasing workforce diversity

Achieving gender equity in digital health practice can promote fairness and equal opportunities in the workplace. This will also help increase diversity in the workforce. Promoting the participation of women in digital health will introduce new perspectives and ideas to the field, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients. By improving health outcomes and increasing workforce diversity, we can create a more productive and inclusive healthcare sector.

We realize that many factors, including social norms, poverty, access to electricity, illiteracy, and even more, are at the intersection of this unevenness in digital skills distribution. But as we move farther into the digital future, we must all collaborate and start from where we are to leave no woman or girl behind.

On this International Women’s Day, we call on collaboration from the government, private sector, and civil society organizations to DigitALL. Let’s move from imagining a gender-equal world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination to living in it.

1. Innovations tailored to the needs of women

2. Economic growth and productivity

3. Reduced disparities in access to healthcare for women

4. Increasing workforce diversity

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