2018 - Issue 3

Africa Health 2018: Explore innovations, Increase Business Opportunities

Expected to attract more than 10,100 healthcare professionals and over 553 leading international and regional healthcare and pharmaceutical suppliers, manufacturers and service providers, the 8th annual Africa Health Exhibition & Congress will be held at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, from 29 – 31 May 2018.

‘Africa Health will provide an opportunity to showcase real investment opportunities to potential investors’

Speaking ahead of the 2018 Africa Health Exhibition & Congress scheduled to be held from May 29 to 31 at Johannesburg, South Africa, Hon. Sarah Opendi, State Minister for Health, Uganda, says in an interview with Arab Health Magazine that as an educated and growing middle class demands better quality healthcare, the major health market segments likely to expand across Africa are the pharmaceutical industry, speciality healthcare, infrastructure development, insurance, and diagnostics and laboratory.

Healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa: What are the answers?

For a continent that accounts for 25% of the world disease burden, the healthcare space in Sub-Saharan Africa requires holistic approaches across several verticals to attract the required investment to tackle the growing challenges across the region. According to a report by the IFC, the private-sector arm of the World Bank, it is estimated that by 2022, Africa will need US$25 billion - US$30 billion in investment in physical healthcare assets alone, including hospitals and clinics.

Digital Future of Healthcare

“The healthcare industry is shifting to a patient-centred model that harnesses technology to both open communication channels and create a platform for patient engagement,” said Doris Savron, executive dean for the College of Health Professions at University of Phoenix, in a statement. “Given this shift, it is crucial that patients not only have access to these technologies, but also view them as important resources for improving their health and overall care experience.”

Using technology in the healthiest manner possible

The benefits of technology can be found across industry sectors, and the healthcare market is no exception. The development of business management software and claims submission solutions is just the start of a process that is bringing healthcare providers and patients closer to one another.

Accelerating and Scaling Digital Health in LMICs: Government Leadership is key

In lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs), access to health remains an important issue to solve. Shortage of healthworkers is one challenge among others: according to the World Bank, there is only 1.2 doctor in LMICs (versus 2.9 in high income countries) and 2.1 nurses or midwives per 1,000 people (versus 8.7 in high income countries). At the same time, 90% of smartphones users will be located in LMICs in 2020. The promise of digital health to address some of the underlying health systems challenges is undeniable.

The management of potential tetanus exposure in the Emergency Department

The sporeof Clostridium tetani is pervasive in the environment and leads to tetanus - an illness characterised by the acute onset of painful muscle spasm seemingly without cause. The global mortality rate of tetanus is estimated to be 30-50% but no one who has completed a primary immunisation series has ever died.

Medical malpractice litigation: Undermining South Africa’s health system

According to South African Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, there has been an ‘explosion’ of medical malpractice litigation claims in the country over the past few years in both the public and private health sectors, as compassion-based practice of medicine is slowly giving way to defensive medicine and mistrust.

Risk Management in the Emergency Department

As we define the process of risk management in the emergency department, it is important to define the concept of risk in its broadest meaning: “Risk is an uncertain event or condition in the future that, if it occurs, has a positive impact (and thus called an opportunity) or a negative impact (and called a threat)”.

The importance of standardised field medical data gathering during humanitarian disasters

One can no longer rely on goodwill and good intentions to manage mass casualties in a disaster situation. As in all other branches of medicine, disaster medicine must rely on a solid and evidence based foundation. Disasters (natural or man-made) and the number of individuals affected by them are yearly increasing.

Innovation Centre to promote healthcare innovations

In line with the UAE vision and Dubai Health Strategy 2016-2021 that seeks to make the population of the emirate healthier and happier by providing world-class healthcare services and fostering creativity and innovation, the Dubai Health Authority has unveiled plans to establish an Innovation Centre in collaboration with the private sector to support healthcare innovation.

Investment opportunities in the healthcare sector in Dubai

With the launch of its health investment strategy 2017-2020, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) aims to promote Dubai as a viable and competitive hub for need-based investment in healthcare. As Dubai’s healthcare sector offers significant opportunities for investors, the strategy also aims to guide and support them to build sustainable public-private partnership models in healthcare in Dubai.

The double-edged sword of AI and machine learning on healthcare data security

The UAE government is leading the way in establishing the necessary integrated and secure data ecosystem to expedite the implementation of future technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare, which use data from many disparate sources to produce unprecedented services that will transform all aspects of people's wellness and everyday life.

The New Penicillin — Improving Patient Outcomes with AI and Advanced Analytics

Across the globe, healthcare providers are facing the same three questions. How do we improve patient care? With growing populations, how can we help more people? And how can this be achieved with budgets that have been under pressure?

Managing a Hospital is No Child’s Play

When Peter Drucker remarked, “Hospital is perhaps the most complicated enterprise ever created by mankind” – he couldn’t have been more correct. There are other businesses and there is healthcare delivery. Nowhere are the stakes as high in terms of human life and emotions as in healthcare services. The psychological association with hospitals is seldom a positive one as they are associated with pain, sorrow and sometimes even death.

Paediatric magnet ingestion: Risks, management, and complications

Children are naturally curious and are willing to explore their surroundings. They may unintentionally ingest objects or substances within reach, found most commonly in the household. The ingested foreign bodies are typically small objects such as coins, fish bones, marbles, and drugs. In particular, the accidental ingestion of magnetic foreign bodies in paediatric patients has become common due to the increasing use of toys with magnetic elements.