The current South African healthcare system is financially unsustainable under the traditional model of universal coverage, plagued by escalating costs, rising disease burden and systemic inefficiencies.
According to Vukosi Sambo, group CIO at Private Health Administrators (PHA), this unsustainability threatens the prospects of universal coverage, making it imperative to adopt a new approach.
He was speaking at the ITWeb Cloud and Data Centre Summit, last week, on harnessing cloud computing to enable improved access and quality of care towards universal health coverage.
Sambo said digital innovation, particularly the adoption of cloud computing, data integration and AI, is critical to transforming the system into a more cost-effective, data-driven and patient-centred ecosystem.
“Without cloud investment to capture comprehensive data, we can't effectively leverage AI, which is crucial for transforming healthcare in this country by enabling timely interventions with the right treatment at the right price,” he said.
The complexity of the healthcare ecosystem, driven by multiple stakeholders like administrators, pathologists, pharmacists and providers, leads to data fragmentation, making it hard to get a complete picture of patient health.
Sambo noted that cloud solutions can help by enabling multi-platform collaboration and data sharing, ultimately driving better health outcomes.
“The industry's fragmentation hinders meaningful action, leaving us with mere data that's insufficient on its own. What's truly critical is decision science – the ability to intervene early with the right treatment, in the right place,” he emphasised.
Health tech innovation for data-driven insights
Sambo added that by leveraging technologies that help pinpoint specific health risks in different areas, healthcare providers can tailor their approach to address these challenges more effectively. For instance, knowing that certain regions are more prone to respiratory diseases due to mining activity allows them to deploy resources in a targeted manner, he noted.
“This approach enables risk stratification and implementation of fit-for-purpose solutions at a regional level, ultimately leading to better health outcomes,” said Sambo.
“However, several challenges hinder progress, including data silos, limited data sharing and low technology adoption among some healthcare professionals. Moreover, the current system often fails to provide continuity of care, as patients' medical histories remain with individual medical schemes rather than being accessible across different providers. To overcome these challenges, it's essential to put patients at the centre and empower them to own their data, allowing them to share it with different providers and facilitating more effective care co-ordination.”
Sambo also highlighted the importance of security in healthcare due to highly sensitive patient data. “The risk is much higher in our world probably than any other industry. We therefore need to make sure that patient data is protected.”
Share