NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Eye sight screening, hearing tests, proper heart checks, patient care and round-the-clock pregnancy monitoring – these are just some of the functions that can now be done with a smart phone. These next generation health solutions were launched at GovTech, SITA’s pre-eminent South African ICT conference, and are powered by Vodacom Business’ fixed and mobile infrastructure.

The new solution, developed in conjunction with Vodacom partners and health experts, are geared to address government’s strategic healthcare goals of increasing life expectancy; decreasing maternal and child mortality; combating HIV and AIDS and decreasing the burden of tuberculosis (TB).

Vodacom Business Chief Officer, Vuyani Jarana says : “As part of Vodacom’s commitment to help government deliver services to citizens, we have focused on strengthening the use of information in delivering primary healthcare. We are combining the pervasiveness of mobile devices, and accessibility of mobile apps with the expansive coverage of Vodacom’s network to take healthcare directly to the citizen, making services more affordable.” says Jarana.

Offerings include next generation screening for hearing and sight problems, apps and devices for vitals monitoring of patients. This including a first-of-a-kind pregnancy monitoring device –Sense4Baby-which is used in the case of women with high-risk pregnancies. The device can be used at home or shared by remote clinics thereby reducing the requirement for clinical visits several times a week.