Affordable and more accessible
Dr Michael Mol highlights the digital advances and the future of healthcare in South Africa
HAVING become successful in the early stages of what is evolving into the healthcare digital revolution, Dr Michael Mol shares his views on where technology and digital innovation is heading.
Mol said a number of truths which inspired the creation of the Hello Doctor app in 2011 still hold today. “Seventy percent of physician visits and 40% of emergency room visits can be handled by a phone call, according to the American Medical Association. The same holds true for South Africa,” he said.
Google’s Connected Consumer Survey (November 2017) revealed that in SA there are 1.4 connected devices per person. Mol said that was “more phones than people”.
“Sixty percent of South Africans now use a smartphone. In other words, seven out of every 10 visits to a clinic or GP could’ve been dealt with over the phone – and almost every South African has a phone,” said Mol.
“We launched Hello Doctor with the goal of using mobile technology to give everyone affordable access to a qualified medical doctor anytime, anywhere, on any phone in their own language.
“A phone call could never replace a faceto-face visit with a doctor, that’s not the intention. We’re simply trying to reduce costs carried by both South Africans and the government by eliminating unnecessary visits to clinics and clinicians.”
Bridging this digital gap also assists with helping the vast majority of South Africans who don’t have direct or immediate access to healthcare.
“About 70% of South African households make use of public healthcare facilities according to Stats SA and the Department of Health – which funds healthcare at a cost of R3 300 per person per annum. Tele-health can provide a healthcare service at a fraction of that cost, bringing South Africa closer to achieving the World Health Organisation’s Sustainable Development Goals – and ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access essential quality health services without facing financial hardship,” said Mol.
Hello Doctor has been online and available 24/7 for the past five years with over 700 000 users, an average response time of 12 minutes and a resolution rate of 68% – meaning no physical referral to a health care practitioner required.
He said Tele-health is also a viable solution that deals with the critical shortage of doctors South Africa is facing. “We have 60 doctors per 100 000 citizens, compared to a world average of 152 doctors per 100 000.”
We asked Mol if he thought digital advances in healthcare could ever outdo the traditional doctor’s consultation. “The future of health is digital on many fronts, but I don’t see it ever being completely devoid of human engagement. Our health is personal – and no level of super intelligent, voice mimicking artificial intelligence interface is ever going to make a human being feel really heard or cared for. So we’ll prevent more, diagnose sooner, treat better and live longer thanks to the digitisation of healthcare – but we’ll always want a human being to hold our hand when we need it most,” he said.