Digital health leaders urge governments to adopt technology to promote health

Hiring more Community Health Volunteer and investing in digital health could save the continent billions of shillings by keeping populations healthy, experts say.

According to Jean Philbert Nsengima, the chief digital health advisor at Africa CDC, Africa could cut about 35 percent of healthcare costs by digitising primary care, and engaging more CHPs.

Yego seeks golden continental exit in Accra showpiece Athletics

TOUCHLINE COLUMN: Sh42.4m storm exposes fragile foundations of Kenyan football governance Football

He said the continent has a deficit of two million CHWs, also called Community Health Promoters (CHPs) in Kenya.

“This will help us achieve our primary healthcare goals,” he said.

He spoke in Nairobi at the Global Digital Health Forum (GDHF), convened for the first time in Africa.

Empowering CHWs with digital tools has proven effective in improving health outcomes. In Uganda, Living Goods' approach led to a 27% reduction in under-five mortality for less than $2 per person annually. Similarly, a five-year digital health project in Busia County, Kenya, demonstrated that equipping CHWs with digital tools increased malaria testing coverage from 51% to 75% and improved same-day diagnosis and treatment from 9% to 59%, significantly reducing child disease and death rates in the community.

At the meeting, leaders from Living Goods, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and the private sector emphasised the critical role of digital health innovations in addressing the persistently high rates of under-five mortality across the continent.

Despite a significant 59 per cent reduction in under-five mortality in East and Southern Africa since 1990, the region continues to face the world's second-highest under-five mortality rate, with approximately 2,700 children dying daily as of 2022. Malaria remains a leading cause of these deaths, underscoring the urgent need for effective interventions.

Gift Kiti, Senior Analyst, Tech for Impact at CIFF, highlighted the importance of community health in advancing child health: "Investing in community health is pivotal for enhancing child health. Community Health Workers (CHWs) are essential in delivering life-saving care and information to underserved populations, ensuring that even the most marginalized have access to essential health services."

Kanishka Katara, Chief Digital Health Officer at Living Goods, called for collaborative efforts: "We urge governments, donors, and partners to invest in equitable, long-term digital health solutions that empower CHWs. By equipping them with digital tools, we can enhance healthcare access, reduce child mortality, and build resilient, sustainable health systems in remote and low-resource settings."

Access to quality healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa remains a significant challenge, especially in remote communities with limited infrastructure. A chorus of experts, including from Johnson & Johnson, shared exemplars of the crucial role CHWs play in bridging care gaps by delivering life-saving interventions directly to those in need.