In Tanzania, m-health has played an important role in supporting people living with various illnesses, by reminding them to make medical appointments or helping answer questions without the need for a physical consultation with a doctor.
Recently, m-health took a further step forward when Aga Khan University launched a mobile app to help people to evaluate possible COVID-19 symptoms. Applications such as these demonstrate the important role that m-health can play in overcoming health related challenges.
As m-health has become a much-discussed topic of late, it is important to remember that Tanzania’s telecoms sector has played a key part in the development of the country’s m-health services for a number of years now.
Tigo Tanzania – one of the country’s leading telcos – has developed a smart service which allows customers to enrol in a variety of health insurance products, including life, accident and hospitalisation insurance. For example, Tigo’s Bima Mkononi Hospital insurance provides customers and their families financial support for each night a person is admitted to hospital.
Meanwhile, Tigo’s birth registration service provides a fast and effective way of registering children’s births. The ability to prove your identity is crucial in accessing a range of services, including healthcare, education and financial services, as well as securing employment. Digital health services – such as Tigo’s – help ensure children are not at risk of being excluded from this later in life.
As the digital era continues to evolve, it is reassuring to know that our country’s telecoms companies are having a positive impact on healthcare delivery.
Johannes Mayala, DIT
11.06.2020
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