by AKANI CHAUKE
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – HEALTHCARE services in the Northern Cape province will become more accessible after Vodacom created a comprehensive technology solution for the sector.
The solution, which includes a computer-assisted emergency services dispatch system, is hailed as a first for the South African public health sector.
Vodacom believes this highlights how public-private partnerships can spearhead innovation and ultimately save people’s lives.
Evah Mthimunye, chief executive of Vodacom Central Region, said the company and the Northern Cape Health Department have been committed since 2019 to making healthcare services in the province more accessible and raising the standard of public healthcare. .
“Using technology as an enabler, our patient engagement solution is the first of its kind in the South African public health sector. I think it will be a game changer not only for the Northern Cape but for the whole country,” Mthimunye said.
In 2019, the provincial government floated the idea of the end-to-end technology solution, which includes a smartphone app and intelligent EMS dispatch functionality.
“As the Northern Cape Health Department, we continue to value the philosophy of partnerships, because only if we work in unison, as one body with a common goal, will these goals be achievable,” said Northern Cape Health Department Acting Director , Rian Strydom.
The solution includes SmartPatient, a smartphone application for patients in need of provincial, municipal or community medical care where they can register a request for medical assistance on their phone.
There is SmartDispatch, a computer-assisted emergency services dispatch system that allows users to make an emergency service request via SMS, USSD, email, phone, and the SmartPatient app.
Northern Cape nurses see up to 40 patients each, but global standards call for five to eight on a general ward.
Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital, the only tertiary hospital in the province, has experienced severe water cuts and broken elevators.
Therefore, technology is key to reducing manual processes, tracking efficiencies and improving service delivery.
– CAJ News
