Innovation to doctor economic ills

According to Peggy Farley, co-founder of Ascent Medical Technology Funds, quality and innovation are the mainstays that will enable the Middle East's healthcare sector to pull through the current economic cycle, reports Albawaba.

"There is no doubt that we are all faced with the realities of a severely troubled global economy, however, the good news is that the region's healthcare sector is looking set to grow," said Farley.

She adds that the medical technology industry invests heavily in research and development and companies, including many start-ups, spend an average of 343% of their revenue on R&D.

Two perennial problems haunt and hurt the healthcare system in the Philippines: its shortage of doctors, and the concentration of health professionals in urban areas, writes The Business Mirror.

The National Telehealth System, a project piloted by University of the Philippines Manila in 1998, imparts clinical information and education to distant areas using ICT. Through computers and the Internet, supplementary expert care can be delivered to far-flung provinces where healthcare specialists are scarce.

This year P100 million has been allocated to expand the reach and scope of the National Telehealth System. Through ICT, the National Telehealth System will allow remote consultation with experts in the Philippine General Hospital regarding trauma and poison cases, and in determining and responding to epidemics.

Participants at a stakeholders meeting in Accra to discuss 'the role of ICT in healthcare delivery' yesterday made a strong case for the computerisation of Internet connectivity systems in hospitals in the country, to ensure efficient healthcare delivery, says My Joy Online.

The participants, who were drawn from both public and private health institutions, also called for ICT courses to be made part of the curriculum of the country's medical and health training institutions. This would equip students with knowledge on its application to deliver quality service to patients.

Chaired by Professor Ofosu Armah, formerly of the School of Public Health Legon, and organised by the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, the meeting explored the potential and actual use of ICT in healthcare delivery in the country and examined ways in which ICT could help strengthen the pillars of the country's healthcare delivery system.