Project Name and Responsible
The Impilo Initiative
Elizabeth van Rooyen
Founder, Executive Director
28 Customs St East, Auckland NZ
Adelaide, Australia
Elizabeth van Rooyen
Founder, Executive Director
28 Customs St East, Auckland NZ
Adelaide, Australia
Meeting with Elizabeth Van Rooyen in Nice in June 2018
Project Description
The Impilo initiative is harnessing the innovation of digital health to increase medical access to women in underserved regions in South Africa.
The Future of healthcare: Telemedicine
As the demand for top quality doctors is increasing across the world, it is crucial to use technology for providing healthcare services to the people. Many people in rural areas are devoid of good doctors and hospitals and also, there is a frequent outbreak of diseases in many places. Hence, it becomes the top priority of healthcare professionals across the world to diagnose and treat those people in rural areas using technology. Telemedicine is one of the best ways to provide treatment as it allows top doctors all around the world to evaluate patients and provide healthcare services to the patients in rural areas.
How bad is the healthcare crisis in rural South Africa?
Lack of medicine and equipment, severe shortages of doctors and nurses retard development. Eighty percent of South Africa’s population of about 50 million people depends on public healthcare. Gatley, provincial winner of South Africa’s Rural Doctor of the Year 2011 award, said the crisis is particularly evident in countryside regions like Oliver Tambo District. “(Our) patients struggle to access care, so they often only get to us when they are very, very sick,” she pointed out. “I know it sounds like a silly thing to say but when doctors who come from other parts of the country come here, they comment to us on how sick our patients really are.”
The Future of healthcare: Telemedicine
As the demand for top quality doctors is increasing across the world, it is crucial to use technology for providing healthcare services to the people. Many people in rural areas are devoid of good doctors and hospitals and also, there is a frequent outbreak of diseases in many places. Hence, it becomes the top priority of healthcare professionals across the world to diagnose and treat those people in rural areas using technology. Telemedicine is one of the best ways to provide treatment as it allows top doctors all around the world to evaluate patients and provide healthcare services to the patients in rural areas.
How bad is the healthcare crisis in rural South Africa?
Lack of medicine and equipment, severe shortages of doctors and nurses retard development. Eighty percent of South Africa’s population of about 50 million people depends on public healthcare. Gatley, provincial winner of South Africa’s Rural Doctor of the Year 2011 award, said the crisis is particularly evident in countryside regions like Oliver Tambo District. “(Our) patients struggle to access care, so they often only get to us when they are very, very sick,” she pointed out. “I know it sounds like a silly thing to say but when doctors who come from other parts of the country come here, they comment to us on how sick our patients really are.”
Project Agreement With The WeObservatory
- Dissemination of the project and advocacy on the website and network of the Foundation Millennia2025 (+7 million visits in 2017), and support at the UNESCO within the Millennia2025 foresight exercise.
- Presentations at international conferences
- Presentations to partners, identification of collaborations, of educational contents in different languages
- Any activity of mutual interest upon common agreement
