by AKANI CHAUKE
JOHANNESBURG – THE benefits of the digital revolution to the healthcare sector in Africa are enormous but many angles must be considered if it is to prove successful.

This is according to an expert as digital transformation offers a host of new opportunities to improve healthcare services across the continent.

Laura Swanepoel, Head of Healthcare, Building Services at WSP in Africa, said the acceleration of technological innovation has already prompted the development of the next generation of healthcare buildings, which would be different from those built in the past.

“This revolution in building design is also being driven by factors such as changing population demographics, shifts in expectations of how healthcare should be provided and environmental considerations,” Swanepoel said.

The executive said these facilities need to be geared towards utilising the latest technological developments – from Wi-Fi networks and e-healthcare solutions to more complex technologies like business intelligence (BI) and big data.

This is seen as potentially the most important aspect of building new hospitals and clinics.

Swanepoel said while there was definite scope in Africa for high-tech and high-performance hospitals, it is the remote and rural areas where access to healthcare was severely limited or entirely lacking that could benefit most from facilities that enable e-healthcare.

Swanepoel further indicated that Africa would benefit most of all from a more decentralised approach to healthcare that delivers services to a larger number of smaller facilities, but which could connect to larger hospitals in the major centres when required, to obtain specialist e-health services.

WSP is a leading engineering professional services firm.
– CAJ News