Healthcare that matters.

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“There are perhaps few industries that have more to gain from the Internet revolution than medicine.” — NYTimes

We’ve only just begun to witness the integration of technology into healthcare. It is a fascinating time to see health tech startups leading this charge, using mobile technology, cloud-based infrastructure, machine learning, and a multitude of innovations that will help us impact the lives of many positively.

According to research conducted by Mckinsey and the World Economic Forum, many of the most compelling innovations in the health industry come from emerging markets. This sounds right for two reasons:

• First, necessity begets invention: in the absence of adequate health care infrastructure, entrepreneurs and existing providers must improvise and innovate.
• Second, because of the weakness in infrastructure and resources of emerging markets, entrepreneurs face fewer constraints; because the lack of infrastructure means low-entry barrier and change is welcome.

New approaches to healthcare delivery are not in short supply.

In Mexico, for example, telephone-based healthcare advice and triage service, MedicallHome is available to more than one million subscribers and their families for $5 a month, paid by phone bills.

It is not hard to see or explain the use of technology in healthcare but how might these new forms of healthcare delivery drive down costs and effect change within the context of Africa?

First, is by getting closer to the patients; entrepreneurs can lower distribution costs by moving the delivery of care much closer to the homes of patients. For instance, Visionspring’s early work involved training the locals or ‘vision entrepreneurs’ to conduct outreach and sell high-quality, low-cost eyeglasses in their communities.

Another way is to use existing technology to reinvent delivery; repurposing mobile phone systems, call centres, and other current technologies allow innovators to extend access, increase the uniformity of care, and improve labour productivity. In Mali, for example, Pesinet uses SMS to improve detection and early treatment of childhood diseases.

Expanding the skillsets of health workers through training is also necessary. The outcome of this is reduced labour costs and overcoming labour constraints. In Kenya, HealthStore has trained community workers to diagnose and treat the region’s top five diseases which account for more than half of preventable deaths there.

As African entrepreneurs continue to innovate, they need to exploit low and loose hanging fruits — existing technology and community members to implement change.

Links from the Internets

• Management: Speed as a habit. [Link]
• Product: Steven Sinofsky on how a company’s structure affects what it builds. [Link]
• Fred Wilson on first mover disadvantage. [Link]

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