Browsing: Health

During a health crisis, the first instinct is often to give people information. Governments make announcements. Experts explain what is happening. Health departments share information on television, radio, social media and through communities. The idea seems simple: give people the right information, and they can make better decisions.

Africa is stepping up efforts to use digital technologies, data and artificial intelligence to strengthen healthcare delivery, improve health security and build more resilient national health systems, as policymakers, health experts and technology leaders call for a shift from small-scale digital health projects to solutions that can operate across communities and national borders.

Noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers account for about 75% of deaths globally. Early detection is key to managing the scale of the problem. But that’s not always possible in rural communities, where there are often shortages of healthcare workers, long travel distances and financial barriers. Fragmented referral systems…