"Mobile health is already firmly established enough for the WHO to have set up a special unit five years ago, the Global Observatory for eHealth, staffed by four people in Geneva.
Its manager, Misha Kay, estimated that up to 40 African countries are using mobile health services. He said large countries with several phone operators – such as Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya – are leading the way. 'The momentum is huge. What is happening is important. Millions of people in Africa still do not have access to any healthcare. With mobile technology they can at least have some,' he said.
The report says there are now more than 5bn live mobile phone subscriptions and that 85% of the world's population is covered by a wireless signal. In Africa, mobile penetration exceeds infrastructure development – including paved roads, and access to electricity and the internet.
The report praises an initiative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where Population Services International (PSI) supports a free hotline to complement its family planning campaigns. In Ghana, funding from a US university provides free mobile-to-mobile voice and text services between the 2,000 GPs who serve the country's 24 million population."
Its manager, Misha Kay, estimated that up to 40 African countries are using mobile health services. He said large countries with several phone operators – such as Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya – are leading the way. 'The momentum is huge. What is happening is important. Millions of people in Africa still do not have access to any healthcare. With mobile technology they can at least have some,' he said.
The report says there are now more than 5bn live mobile phone subscriptions and that 85% of the world's population is covered by a wireless signal. In Africa, mobile penetration exceeds infrastructure development – including paved roads, and access to electricity and the internet.
The report praises an initiative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where Population Services International (PSI) supports a free hotline to complement its family planning campaigns. In Ghana, funding from a US university provides free mobile-to-mobile voice and text services between the 2,000 GPs who serve the country's 24 million population."
