The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) is undertaking a project to develop mobile applications to disseminate health information in the country.
The ‘MESTI mHealth’ project, which is being undertaking in collaboration with the Colleges of Science and Health Sciences of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), seeks to contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) three, which emphasizes on good health and well-being of all people, especially, those in the marginalized and underserved communities.
Dr Rose-Mary Gyening, Principal Investigator to the Project, speaking at the project’s inception workshop in Kumasi, said the project would lead to poverty reduction and also solve some of the climate-related health conditions of the people.
Explaining the distinctive features and functions of the mobile application, Dr Gyening, said the App was going to be used to collect and analyse data to do forecasting, make predictions to help prevent or avoid outbreak of diseases, as well as take proactive measures to deal with emerging health challenges.
“We are looking at a point where people will use the App, provide some information or symptoms.
There will be medication reminders, where people can log in the drugs, they are supposed to take so that they will be given reminders when there is time to take them and when the drugs are running out” she explained.
She said one very notable feature of the App would be the language translation, adding that, the project would look at reaching under-served communities and finding innovative ways of ensuring that the App contained notable languages which would be understood by many ordinary Ghanaians.
Dr Gyening said the application would be in two folds – the part where Ghanaian populace could use and the part solely for medical personnel adding that there would be an avenue for virtual consultations.
Professor Mrs. Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, said the outdooring of the MESTI Mobile Health Application Project was a very significant move aimed at improving healthcare access for underserved communities in Ghana.
Technology, she indicated, had become more useful in solving everyday problems, adding that “if we have all the technology and we cannot leverage on to find everyday solutions, then technology will be in vain.”
She said scientists were very much aware of the challenges being faced by people in the remote and marginalized areas and the launch of the project indicated a significant step towards addressing disparities and bridging the gaps in healthcare access.
Prof. Mrs. Dickson urged the partners to make sure the initiative was successful and long lasting by the effects that it would have on the individual.
