Telemedicine makes healthcare more accessible Implementing digital health records is making it possible for South African patients to see healthcare practitioners anywhere in the country. Telemedicine was adopted in the South African public health sector in the late ‘90s and used primarily for pathology and radiology services. Patients can now apply a biosensing patch which gives your Doctor instant updates on your blood sugars via phone and wearable device which can send an electrocardiogram to your nearest heart specialist. Chrionhealth describes Telemedicine as telecommunications technology which allows health care professionals to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients at a distance.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO,) 43% of South Africa’s population lives in rural regions, with just one physician responsible for 7,700 people. On the other hand The United States has reported a significant reduction in healthcare costs since the implementation of telemedicine in everyday clinical practices. Rural patients can have access to a specialist through videoconferencing, teleradiology and telepathology.
Telemedicine is governed by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPI). Security of a patient’s private information is vital and is likely to progress as data protection tightens and telemedicine continues to grow.Some of the advantages of using telemedicine include; saving of costs and time, it may assist employers to offer better primary healthcare options and provides health education.
