One of the most important findings from the 2018, FHI is that countries with a high Value Measure tend to exhibit high levels of connected care technology adoption. This indicates that integrating connected care technology into health systems can accelerate countries along the path to value-based healthcare.
South Africa lacks a universal health record, and both its data collection and data analytics scores fall below the 16-country average. While both the general population and healthcare professionals in South Africa see the importance of connected care technology in prevention (76% and 81%, respectively) and in population health overall (76% and 78% respectively), the technology is still perceived to be underutilised. In addition, South Africa’s current state of data collection and the small market sizes for AI indicate that there is room for further implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in healthcare.
“This is an opportunity for public and private sector alike to come together to bridge these value gaps, and ensure improved, and sustainable quality care across the region,” added Westerink. “And to realise a healthier future, we need to look beyond the healthcare space, for instance, we need to bring more secure servers, and higher internet speeds into the region to ultimately deliver efficient care.”
In order to drive these important conversations, and explore the current realities through the lens of the future needs as outlined by the FHI, cross-industry experts today convened at the annual Forbes-Philips Future Health Summit 2018, in Johannesburg.
Key topics covered include NHI as a solution to universal healthcare; the importance of preventative healthcare; exploring the reality of a system overload and lack of healthcare professionals; as well as leveraging technology as an enabler – each addressing accessibility, technology and efficiency – to discuss and debate increased trust and better integration that will help build towards a future of healthcare that works for everyone.
For additional FHI related content, please visit: www.futurehealthindex.com, or follow the Future Health Summit conversation on Twitter @PhilipsSAfrica.
[1] World Bank (2014).
[2] World Health Organisation (2015 – 2016).