Logica leads study on eHealth to improve healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa
Initiative for satellite enabled electronic health services
Logica, a leading business and technology service company, today announced it has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA). to lead a multinational consortium in a study on electronic health (eHealth) delivery, enabled by satellite, in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Sub-Saharan Africa presents a significant challenge for medical professionals. The region has around 11 percent of the world's population, however has 25 percent of the global disease burden (in human and financial costs), but less than 1 percent of global health expenditure. Delivery is also a challenge with just 3 percent of the world's health workers deployed in the region, so doctors and nurses are often a long way from their patients and access is difficult due to poor infrastructure.
This is where the European Space Agency (ESA) comes in. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and in particular satellite communications can enable the timely delivery of care, training and educational content, perform epidemic surveillance and support health system administration over the vast distances involved in this region.
ESA recently launched the Satellite-Enhanced Telemedicine and eHealth for Sub-Saharan Africa Programme (eHSA). Working in collaboration with the Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation (LuxDev) and with the co-funding of the Government of Luxembourg and the European Union - Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund, eHSA's goal is to develop a satellite-enhanced eHealth and Telemedicine infrastructure to benefit sub-Saharan Africa. One of the first objectives of the programme is to conduct a governance study among 48 countries in the region which will make sure that the right procedures, policies, and organisational structures are in place before the eventual move to eHealth delivery. This study will be led by Logica, supported by its consortium partners drawn from public, private and voluntary sectors, including several charities representing the interests of the African nations.
The consortium will conduct a substantial amount of stakeholder research using case studies, workshops, stakeholder surveys, one-to-one interviews and a dedicated web portal for health communities' engagement and feedback, as it looks for the best possible outcome.
The study is the first step in a 36 million euro programme. There will be 3 further studies taking place in 2012 covering the regulatory aspects, interoperability and sustainability of eHealth, before a second phase. The second phase involves implementing projects around specific themes such as electronic care and learning, epidemic surveillance, and administration. Besides the social benefit it provides, the eHSA is also an important contribution towards several of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals.
Commenting on the initiative the programme lead at ESA said: "The lack of infrastructure is limiting the access to basic healthcare services to more than 80 % of the population in sub-Saharan Africa. We really believe that careful use of space technologies will be a cost-effective way to expand healthcare coverage to rural areas where most of the people live in sub-Saharan Africa. We selected Logica because it has created a strong consortium with a strong emphasis on African stakeholders and close ties to the local health community ensuring that this programme delivers the maximum possible benefit for sub Saharan regions."
Stuart Martin, head of space and satcoms at Logica commented: "Due to the accuracy and the universal service satellites can provide, the number of potential applications continues to grow at an exponential rate. But what this particular programme really demonstrates is how they can truly transform people's lives for the better. In the case of Sub-Saharan Africa, satellites may well prove to be the only cost-effective way to expand the coverage of health services in the region."
About Logica
Logica is a business and technology service company, employing 41,000 people. It provides business consulting, systems integration and outsourcing to clients around the world, including many of Europe's largest businesses. Logica creates value for clients by successfully integrating people, business and technology. It is committed to long term collaboration, applying insight to create innovative answers to clients' business needs. Logica is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and Euronext (Amsterdam) (LSE: LOG; Euronext: LOG). More information is available at www.logica.com.
About ESA
The European Space Agency (ESA) is an international organisation with 19 Member States. Its purpose is to provide for, and to promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European States in space research and technology and their space applications, with a view to their being used for scientific purposes and for operational space applications systems. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, it can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. For further details see www.esa.int
About Funding Partners
LuxDev is the Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation, managing most of the resources allocated by the Luxembourg government to bilateral public development aid. For further details visit www.luxdev.lu
EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund is a result of the EU-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure, aimed at providing improved and sustained African infrastructure with the objective of promoting regional integration across Africa. For further details visit www.eu-africa-infrastructure-tf.net
Consortium members
Alter Santé –Specialised advisor on public health and health economics with long experience and profile in health systems and health systems evaluation in all sub Saharan regions.
ESCEM – ESCEM is a French Grande École of Management, with almost 3000 MSc and BSc students and 67 permanent faculty members. The ESCEM School of Business and Management Research Centre (CRESCEM) has four targeted lines of research including one on Governance.
University of South Africa – Higher education institution founded in 1873, with quarter of a million students from 130 countries, developing research in Governance (including governance in the Health Sector) and in Health partnerships in Sub-Saharan Africa.
African Medical & Research Foundation - Founded 1957, AMREF is the largest international African health development organisation. A Charity/Foundation, also known as "Flying Doctors".
RAFT (Réseau en Afrique Francophone pour la Télémédecine) – Leading practitioners of Telemedicine in West Africa; webcasts interactive courses to health care professionals across a network of 18 SSA countries.
MERLIN – a UK registered charity that operates hospitals and health systems in fragile states. Just under half of its 5250 employees work in sub-Saharan Africa
LeKinkeliba – a health charity working in Senegal, founded in 1995, that specialises in health, education, agriculture, and local economic development.
CIDMEF (Conférence Internationale des Doyens et des Facultés de Médecine d'Expression Française) - network of French speaking Medical Universities from 140 faculties, involved in. Public Health cooperation and eLearning.
Press contacts
Jenny Thorpe
Head of UK PR, Logica
Email: Jenny.thorpe@logica.com
Tel: +44 (0)7709 304115
Logica
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