Telemedicine in Africa: Challenges and Support Structures

Running Head: TELEMEDICINE IN AFRICA
A brief explanation of RAFT
Name of the student:
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1TELEMEDICINE IN AFRICA
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Discussion........................................................................................................................................2
ICT/infrastructure and management issues to the uptake of telemedicine..................................2
 Financial sustainability.....................................................................................................2
 Lack of proper Infrastructure............................................................................................3
 Lack of proper management.............................................................................................3
Support structures that are available for supporting telemedicine in Africa...............................3
 mHealth that supports healthcare networks in Africa.......................................................3
 Information systems in hospitals of Africa.......................................................................3
 RAFT Altiplano................................................................................................................4
Recommendations for addressing challenges in the use of telemedicine....................................4
Current challenges that uptake of telemedicine will face in Australia........................................4
 Barriers to the uptake of telemedicine at individual level................................................5
 Barriers at infrastructural level.........................................................................................5
 Barriers at organizational level.........................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6

2TELEMEDICINE IN AFRICA
Introduction:
This report will highlight telemedicine network of Africa, an initiative taken by
collaboration of the University of Geneva and University hospitals. The network is known as
RAFT. It has started providing service to sub-Saharan parts and has extended its service to
Bolivia, while service in Nepal is in progress (Annan & Agyepong, 2018). The telemedicine
network has specially benefited the low and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Africa.
The health related problems that LMICs face are due to the lack of experienced health
professional. Moreover, quality care is given to financially stable patients that LMICs lacked.
Most experienced and qualified health professionals gathered in urban area hospitals while rural
area hospitals were being deployed of the service. RAFT took the opportunity to provide clinical,
educational and public health services (Bediang et al., 2014). As educational service, RAFT
provided weekly video lectures to post graduates and continuing medical education along with
research training activities using e-learning and ICTs. However, RAFT is facing lot of challenges
that will be focused on in the following paragraphs.
Discussion:
ICT/infrastructure and management issues to the uptake of telemedicine: The public
health system of Africa has adopted telemedicine however wider use remains a challenge in the
low and middle-income countries of Africa. The barriers in the uptake of telemedicine are as
follows:
 Financial sustainability: RAFT has been providing service in Africa for more than ten
years and still facing financial issues. Long-term investment is required for its wider
implementation. The challenge lies with LMICs, as they are economically less stable