BizCommunity - 19 Jul 2022
South Africa's overburdened health system is in critical need of innovation which can be brought about through incorporating technology, increasing knowledge and improving processes to meet the increasing needs of the nation.
The health system is plagued by a quadruple burden of disease of escalating HIV and Aids infections and deaths; maternal and child disease; non-communicable conditions and illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and mental illness; and deaths from trauma.
We are struggling with a crippled system despite good policy and relatively high spending on health (9.1% of GDP).
Fragmented services between public and private sectors, shortage of health professionals, weak management, and lack of infrastructure and poor access to care have contributed to the crumbling system over decades.
The Covid-19 pandemic has proven itself as a catalyst for a healthcare revolution, with transformation in how, where and why care is delivered.
The post-pandemic healthcare sector is being shaped by innovation, which can improve efficiency, increase productivity, and optimise patient outcomes.
Innovation in healthcare can be defined as any improvements, simple or complex, that lead to improvements in the outcomes and patient experiences.
To stimulate novel healthcare solutions in the country, Regent has partnered with Siemens Healthineers to bring its global Innovative Think Tank (ITT) certification programme to offer South African participants the opportunity to develop innovations to challenges in our healthcare system.
Trending innovations in healthcare centre on digital transformation, telemedicine solutions, the internet of things, artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
Virtual reality is enhancing training of medical professionals, enabling more students to be trained over shorter periods of time.
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