Fighting Disease Through ICT

In Africa, the growth of mobile phone usage has been nothing short of phenomenal. The phone, because of its relatively low cost (in some cases), easy set-up and greater efficiency than land lines has brought many Africans into a high efficiency communication age enabling them to communicate with one another and the world with an ease they could not have imagined possible just a few years ago. Mobile phones have become an essential component driving business effectiveness and efficiency, over and above the primary help it has given to people to enhance communication. Modifications on the phones have also seen them being used for a number of business and non business applications. It is now beginning to catch on as well that mobile phone applications can be very powerful tools in the battle against disease on the Continent. With the ability to take and use the phones in even some of the more remote regions, mobile phones can truly be a potent force for health care. This fact has spurred a joint venture between the United Nations Foundation and the Vodafone Foundation - Technology Partnership - whose purpose is to help far-flung health workers share critical medical data. The venture will expand the use of an open-source application known as EpiSurveyor, which can be downloaded to mobile phones, enabling healthcare workers to track data on various health concerns, to 22 African countries by the end of this year.


http://allafrica.com/stories/200809220356.html