Satellite solutions for sub-Saharan Africa

We spoke to European Space Agency (ESA) Telemedicine Task Force Manager who is on the front line of bringing Information and Communication technology to Africa’s sickest and most vulnerable.

The European Union’s greatest organisations met in June 2006 to discuss the main aims of a telemedicine taskforce. The conclusion reached was that a dedicated satellite could advance information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve the health communications (dubbed eHealth) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

So we spoke to Giorgio Palermo, Telemedicine Taskforce Manager at ESA in Paris, about some concrete actions and benefits the pilot proposals could bring. 

The satellite project

The project has the potential to bring greater connectivity to extend the reach of health services across sub-Saharan Africa and to bring together one of the most important collaborations in the European Union. It brings the World Health Organization, the European Commission and the European Space Agency, among others, together to form the taskforce.

On March 1 this year, the third meeting of the Telemedicine Task Force was held in Gaborone, Botswana. This meeting was the product of a workshop in Brussels which brought the potential of satellite telecommunication technology in SSA to light.

It was decided that the technology could support the existing healthcare systems in Africa and bring more facilities to the more remote parts of the region. One of the key tasks of its mandate was to develop a complete picture of telemedicine opportunities in the sub-Saharan region and to formulate recommendations for future action.

Palermo commented about the meeting’s conclusions: “It was agreed that the next phase of work should build upon existing regional initiatives to build eHealth capacity. 

“It was suggested that by taking the original ideas covered in the draft projects proposal and applying them to existing initiatives with the aim of extending the reach and scope of these proposals by appropriate use of satellite technology,  the concept of extending connectivity for work force capacity, building  and clinical services through satellite-based technology could be tested.”

Sub-Saharan Africa

The problematic region of the SSA is plagued with not only political and economic strife, but suffers under extremely bad conditions which have led to many epidemics, including AIDs, tuberculosis and malaria.

Countries below the Sahara Desert division include Chad, Mali, Sudan, Niger and Mauritania among the 45 countries and 750 million inhabitants the term SSA covers. The TTF describe it as an area with “the highest burden of communicable diseases.”

The average life expectancy from birth in the SSA was 46 in 2004. Health service coverage is low, as is the immunisation coverage and the number of births attended by skilled personnel.

Sub-Saharan Africa also faces a serious health workforce crisis. Further problems the region face include the migration of doctors, nurses and other skilled workers to more developed countries. Disease and - potentially - death also face many personnel that work in the region.

What the TTF are concerned with fixing is the availability of computers and internet access to help bring some sort of order to the health service in SSA. Africa is currently the most disenfranchised region in the world when it comes to internet access.

“Availability of computers and in particular internet access is extremely low.  Africa remains the most disenfranchised region in the world with regards to internet access.”

Palermo sees the information and communication technologies improving health services to Africa: “Information  and  Communication  Technology  (ICT)  offers  significant opportunity  and  potential  for worldwide  advancement in health and health care.  eHealth is  the  term we use in  the  health sector of ICT for clinical, educational and  administrative  purposes, both locally and at a distance, and is a key enabler for supporting health systems and delivery of health care.  

“Given the  limited  reach of land-based  and  mobile telecommunication,  satellite  technology could significantly extend the reach of communication to remote and isolated areas of the continent; the TTF is convinced  that  by  complementing  terrestrial infrastructure  with satellite communications, complete coverage of the sub-Saharan region can be achieved.”

Strategies

For Europe to make a substantial difference to the health of the SSA population, the TTF has since reviewed the health policies and strategies for African development of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), of the World Health Organization and the European Union.

The strategies recognise ICT as an important enabler for progress towards NEPAD goals in the African region. But as Palermo explains, Africa has a long way to go before the technologies are introduced, up, running and in a place where the local health services can utilise it for the population to see some benefit.

“While we are mainly interested in the satellite part of communication technologies, all ICT should be increased,” he explained. “The TTF review revealed that overall ICT penetration in most African countries is low. For example, despite the rapid growth of mobile phone subscribers in the last few years, the total penetration rate for the Sub-Saharan region in 2003, excluding South Africa, was as low as three subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

“Availability of computers and in particular internet access is extremely low.  Africa remains the most disenfranchised region in the world with regards to internet access.”

The solution

The TFF believe that by complementing terrestrial infrastructure with satellite communications, complete coverage of the sub-Saharan region can be achieved. The proposed pilot projects should concretely demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.

In the long-term, a programmatic framework should outline actions in the step-wise development of sustainable eHealth infrastructure and services, based on the open standards and the needs of African countries in the priority areas approved by the World Health Organisation Executive Board in January 2006.

The poorest nations in the world

As events like Red Nose Day and Live Aid attempt to highlight, these nations need our help. This is a worldwide effort as the ESA’s efforts attest, but the SSA still suffers from the legacies of corruption, inter-ethnic conflict, violence and political strife which keeps it poor.

Plans like the Telemedicine Task Force should help bring the power of information and communication to benefit the health sector and improve the well-being of the populations suffering this humanitarian crisis.
 

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