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EpiAFRIC, an African health consultancy group has expressed readiness to hold the sixth edition of the Health meets Tech Hackathon, themed, ‘Navigating Healthcare post-COVID-19’, aimed at using technology to provide health solutions to Nigerians.

In a recently signed statement by the event organiser and partners, the CEO EpiAFRIC, Dr. Ifeanyi Nsofor, revealed that the event would run for two days, September 10 and 11, 2021, both virtual and physical, at the Ventures Platform in Abuja.

According to him, the initiative was designed to build an ecosystem of heath and tech practitioners to design and deploy contextually-relevant tech solutions across Africa.

“The hackathon will create a platform for health workers to work with developers, business persons and tech practitioners to develop viable solutions that will improve both population health and clinical care in the post COVID-19 era.

“This year promises to be epic as we would be expecting the teams to come up with disruptive ideas on how technology can be used to accelerate and provide better healthcare services especially as we gradually begin to live in a post-COVID-19 world.

“It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for capacity building, mentoring, networking and support to build solutions from simple ideas to workable porotypes.

“EpiAFRIC will be partnering PandemicTech, Marie Stopes Nigeria, Riders for Health, WellaHealth, Pathfinder International, Save the Children Tanzania, Doctoora, Ventures Platform and Nigeria Health Watch.”

Also speaking, acting CEO, TY Danjuma Foundation, Gima Forje, expressed excitement, while stating that the foundation was partnering EpiAFRIC to hold the event.

“We are excited to be partnering EpiAFRIC to roll out this year’s hackathon. Although we are not yet out of the pandemic, we would be looking out for innovative projects that would help us bring to the forefront of the needs that are cost effective and cater for the needs of these challenging times.”

In her remarks, the Country Director, Pathfinder International, Dr. Amina Dorayi, explained that technology was a common denominator that facilitates the work “we do especially in the post pandemic world”.

She further stated that the health meets tech hackathon provides an opportunity for health and tech practitioners to come together to create tech solutions for health service delivery and logistics management.

“I am excited by these possibilities that the hackathon will present to us in Nigeria and we look forward to innovations that will address the challenges of health access, quality and outcomes of care especially for women and young people.”