A telehealth service supported by the Novartis Foundation piloted in Ghana is expected to expand after a successful beginning, according to PM Live.
The Ghana Health Service and Ministry of Health set up and staffed six teleconsultation centers across the country in a joint effort led by Swiss pharma giant Novartis with help from the telecommunication companies Ericsson and Airtel, as well as New York City-based Columbia University.
The telehealth service leverages mobile technology to connect community health workers with specialists, virtually. The teleconsultation centers are staffed with physicians, nurses and midwives. In 2016, the Novartis Foundation noted more than half of the pilot's teleconsultations were resolved directly via phone, and 31 percent of teleconsultations avoided referrals to specialists.
The Novartis foundation thinks full national coverage can be achieved by 2019.
"We're very proud to have been a part of this partnership, all the way from the pilot model to the roadmap for national implementation," Ann Aerts, MD, head of the Novartis Foundation, told PM Live. "Working with policy makers to integrate initiatives like telemedicine into health systems is the ultimate goal for us — only with sustained government leadership can such initiatives continue to transform healthcare for years to come."