• Vodacom and the Northern Cape Department of Health have been working since 2019 to make healthcare services more accessible.
• Today the pair launch the SmartPatient app which allows citizens to request medical services.
• In addition, SmartDispatch allows for medical assistance requests via USSD, SMS, email, phone and the newly launch app.

Easy access to government services is something that smart cities and the fourth industrial revolution often promise will be made a reality.

Rather than waiting around for the future though, Vodacom together with the Northern Cape Department of Health have launched cutting edge patient engagement solutions. These solutions include a computer-aided emergency services dispatch system and a smartphone app.

The goal is to make healthcare services in the Northern Cape more accessible and the department, together with Vodacom, have been working toward this vision for a number of years already.

“Since 2019, Vodacom and the Northern Cape Department of Health have been hard at work to make the province’s healthcare services more accessible, and to raise the standard of public healthcare. Using technology as an enabler, our patient engagement solution is the first of its kind in the South African public healthcare sector, and I believe it will be a game-changer for not only the Northern Cape but for the whole country,” managing executive for Vodacom Central Region, Evah Mthimunye, said in a statement.

The smartphone app mentioned earlier is know as SmartPatient. The app allows users to log a medical assistance request on their phone. This works together with a solution known as SmartDispatch which allows users to request emergency services via SMS, USSD, email, phone and the aforementioned SmartPatient app.

“Vodacom is proud to be part of this ground-breaking public-private partnership underpinned by innovation. It’s another example of how we are forging ahead with our purpose to connect for a better future. Furthermore, we believe in technology that’s accessible to the underserved and inclusive to the marginalised, and our patient engagement solution is just that,” said Mthimunye.

Vodacom highlights that solutions such as this can provide valuable insight into the processes at healthcare facilities. According to the firm Northern Cape nurses care for up to 40 patients each exceeding the average of five to eight considered the global standard. Perhaps these solutions can help ease that burden through the analysis of data.

We are curious to see if Vodacom launches similar solutions around the country if this deployment proves successful.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]