By Yero S. Bah
In West Africa, healthcare professionals commonly use the term “medical deserts” to describe the dire lack of access to healthcare facilities, inadequate medical personnel, and limited medical attention. This phenomenon presents significant humanitarian challenges throughout the region.
Reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019 on Non-Communicable Diseases in Africa and UNICEF’s 2019 Pregnancy and Childbirth report on the Density of Physicians in West Africa revealed alarming statistics. As of April 2020, several West African countries reported having less than one doctor for every 10,000 inhabitants. Sierra Leone, for instance, had the lowest density of medical doctors in West Africa with a mere 0.3 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants, as indicated by the WHO 2001 Mental Health Atlas.
Furthermore, the UNICEF report highlighted that over half of all births in sub-Saharan Africa occur at home without qualified assistance, leading to high rates of maternal and under-five mortality. Mali, in particular, experiences the distressing rate of 114.4 deaths per 1000 births.
Rural areas in the region face additional challenges due to their considerable distance from healthcare facilities. Guinea, for example, has a significantly lower Universal Health Coverage rate of 32.3 compared to the regional average of 67, making access to care even more challenging for vulnerable populations. The high costs associated with medical diagnosis and healthcare services often discourage individuals, pushing them to seek cheaper alternatives that can lead to severe complications or jeopardize their lives.
The scarcity of qualified medical personnel and inadequate healthcare facilities severely hampers the local population’s ability to access quality care, resulting in grave consequences for their health and overall well-being. The lack of sufficient medical services exacerbates the challenges faced during health emergencies, amplifying the urgency of addressing this critical issue.
Medeecal: Bridging the healthcare gap in West Africa with e-healthcare solutions
Medeecal leverages technology to dismantle the barriers to healthcare access in West Africa, utilizing the widespread availability of smartphones. Moreover, the platform provides a comprehensive range of services, including community health education, post-consultation follow-up care, and seamless referral services to other medical professionals. This comprehensive approach significantly enhances the emergency management cycle.
By utilizing smartphones and complementary technologies, Medeecal offers patients a seamless user experience, enabling them to effortlessly schedule appointments and receive consultations from the comfort of their own location. Patients can create a secure login account to access free medical consultations, follow-ups, and referrals for various health concerns such as general medicine, viral infections, chronic diseases, pediatrics, gynecology, pregnancy, and dermatology.
Serving as a community health education platform, Medeecal promotes healthy habits and emphasizes preventive care. Furthermore, the platform offers post-consultation follow-up to ensure patients receive the necessary care for their recovery.
Currently, Medeecal operates on a voluntary basis. Due to the overwhelming demand, they can only offer two hours of consultation per day with a single doctor, resulting in a regrettable inability to accommodate all patients in need. Dr. Abdurrahman S, one of the founders of the platform laments, “We are overbooked and have to turn away patients in need.”
To encourage patients to share their medical conditions online, establishing trust and credibility is paramount. Dr. Abdurrahman S. highlights the importance of maintaining an active online presence, safeguarding patient confidentiality, leveraging patient testimonials, and adopting a patient-centered approach.
The user-friendly platform allows patients to conveniently book online appointments with qualified general practicing doctors, and in some cases, specialized doctors for diagnostic purposes, all free of charge. By completing a three-step online form, patients provide personal details, language preferences, symptoms, mobile numbers, and country of residence.
Patients who have benefited from Medeecal’s services have expressed their gratitude and satisfaction. Samuel Kundu, a patient who experienced the platform’s benefits, emphasized its significance in Africa, stating that it offers solutions to health problems without the need to visit a hospital. Joana Myles-Mills, who had been seeking treatment for a specific condition for an extended period, appreciated the patience and explanations provided by Medeecal, which significantly increased their knowledge about the condition.
Alhassan Haruna, after a one-on-one consultation, received valuable medical advice and highly recommends Medeecal to proactive individuals concerned about their health and well-being, both in Africa and beyond.
Musa Amadu highlighted the affordability of Medeecal’s consultations, noting that despite the expensive nature of healthcare consultations in general, Medeecal offers cost-free access to attentive doctors who provide appropriate prescriptions, contributing to healthier lives for patients.
As of March 1, 2023, Medeecal saya it has registered almost 1100 patients and offers up to eight tele-consultations per day and their website attracts 1205 monthly visitors.
But there are challenges in delivering these services
While Medeecal has made significant strides in improving healthcare access, several challenges hinder the seamless delivery of its services. These obstacles include a shortage of healthcare workers available on the platform, limited funding sources, the complexities of coordinating consultations across different time zones, and the voluntary nature of doctors’ involvement due to their primary occupations. Additionally, inadequate internet connectivity in remote regions labeled as medical deserts, along with unreliable power supply, further compound the difficulties. Furthermore, patients harbor concerns about sharing personal medical information with healthcare professionals online, adding to the existing challenges.
However, the founders of Medeecal are acutely aware of these obstacles and are actively addressing them. They prioritize establishing trust between themselves and their patients as a vital aspect of their operation. The online booking system allows patients to select convenient consultation times, enhancing accessibility and convenience. Furthermore, Medeecal is forging partnerships, such as the collaboration with the Uaid Foundation in the Gambia and other organizations across the continent, in order to expand their reach and network.
By connecting patients with medical professionals remotely, Medeecal offers an efficient and convenient way for patients to receive medical advices and treatments without traveling long distances.
Exponential growth of technology in West Africa
West Africa has seen an exponential growth in technology in recent years, and health-tech startups are at the forefront of this trend. With the potential to fill gaps in healthcare services, these startups are transforming the way communities access and receive medical care.
One of the main challenges facing healthcare in Africa is the lack of infrastructure and resources in many regions. This has led to difficulties in delivering basic medical care to rural areas and to populations with limited financial means. Health-tech startups like medeecal is offering solutions to these problems by leveraging technology to provide ease for citizens of this region.
This technology has the potential to transform the way healthcare is delivered in Africa, particularly in remote and underserved areas. In other parts of Africa like Uganda, techpreneurs are using Chatbot that offer a range of services including e-consultation in schools, where each student can consult with one of 175 online doctors, e-referral, where a student can be referred to a partner laboratory, and e-pharmacy, where drugs prescribed can be ordered online and delivered to the school.
The innovative aspect of the product is that students can access these services and the school pays back later.
This story was produced in partnership with Nigeria Health Watch through the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems.