By Dr Ntombi Mutshekwane, Director, Boxfusion
The pandemic has heightened the demand for healthcare services across the globe. Locally, it has laid bare the challenges that plague the healthcare sector in South Africa. These include shortages of healthcare personnel, delays in accessing healthcare, and inadequate access to medicines, equipment, and technology.
These challenges are highlighted in the Presidential Health Summit Report of 2018, which anticipates that “by 2030, the health system should provide quality care to all, free at the point of service or paid by publicly provided or privately funded insurance.”
The most effective way to overcome these hurdles is through technology, namely internet-connected smart devices like mobile phones and tablets. Together, these technologies have the potential to enable the South African government to provide the kind of health services as put forward by the National Digital Health Strategy for South Africa 2019 – 2024.
This initiative, which is in line with National Development Plan 2030 priorities, aims to pave the way for the rollout of the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme through the implementation of a people-centric plan that uses digital technologies to build a nation of healthy people and empowered health workers.
Boxfusion & Healthcare
Boxfusion is a local software solutions developer that has developed cutting-edge digital healthcare solutions to meet the South African context as a low to middle income country.
At Boxfusion, we have aligned our goals with those of government to help make the vision of “a long and healthy life for all South Africans” a reality. We add value by providing robust digital platforms to aid government in achieving its vision for the health of citizens.
Our value proposition also centres around partnerships with government and private-sector health companies on their journey towards digitally transforming healthcare services. Through our partnerships, we are helping government to overhaul and upgrade existing healthcare infrastructure to meet the requirements of both the National Digital Health Strategy for South Africa, and the broader goals of the National Development Plan 2030.
Demand outstrips supply
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for healthcare services has been growing faster than the supply. Using technology, Boxfusion has enabled government to connect patients in need of medical services with healthcare providers through apps, mobile phones, and the internet. Technology has also extended the reach and capabilities of SA’s healthcare providers.
Boxfusion’s Mpilo app, for example, puts medical information at citizens’ fingertips. By simply downloading the app from the Google Play Store or the Android App Store, citizens can locate their nearest clinic, perform coronavirus self-screening, receive important news and alerts from the Gauteng Department of Health, and even request an ambulance and track it until it arrives.
More recently, we acquired a locally-developed Electronic Health Management System (eHMS) that digitises health-related information and assists providers to deliver better services and improve patient outcomes at the clinic and hospital level. The eHMS system enables the digitisation of administrative and clinical records, more effective tracking of the patient journey, better management of supply chains and revenue, and more.
Leveraging the best to deliver the best
Being a local company, Boxfusion’s digital solutions have a big advantage: we understand the South African context, and so our solutions are tailored to address the specific challenges that we face here.
Furthermore, our solutions are devel-oped with the aid of clinicians, they aid in the skilling of youths, and they create interest and build capacity in health and clinical informatics. Boxfusion is also in the process of forming partnerships with academic institutions in the enhancement and deployment of further healthcare solutions.
By partnering with Microsoft and using the Azure cloud in the development and deployment of our digital health-care solutions, Boxfusion is leveraging the best technologies available to deliver world-class capabilities from the cloud that are built in tandem with local knowledge and experience.
To find out more or to to request a demo, contact us: www.boxfusion.co.za, +2712 940 1300 or info@boxfusion.co.za/sales@boxfusion.co.za
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