Tapping into the expertise of Katharine Gage, Advisor to the Executive Director of the U.S Global Development Lab (USAID) and Mr. Foster Mensah, Executive Director of the Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services (CERSGIS) as lead discussants, the 2 hour morning session will draw participation from professionals within the health and eHealth sector, technology and development experts, Civil Societies working within the health sector, students, individuals and stakeholders with interest in advancing healthcare delivery in Ghana.
Presently, public and
private sector players worldwide are devising innovative ways to harnessing the
data integration and spatial visualization power of GIS into their projects
with many of these companies and organizations spanning the health care
spectrum - from public health departments and public health policy and research
organizations to hospitals, medical centers, and health insurance
organizations.
Most
developing countries like Ghana still manually generate demographic health data
and this exposes it to human-generated errors. Beyond offsetting
this challenge, GIS plays a critical role in the ‘healthcare geographics’
of determining where and when to
intervene, improving the quality of care, increasing accessibility of service,
finding more cost-effective delivery modes, and preserving patient
confidentiality while satisfying the needs of the research community for data
accessibility.
According to Kwami
Ahiabenu, II, Executive Director of Penplusbytes, the world is evolving at
a technological pace that requires Ghana and the rest of the developing world
to double up or get stuck behind in time. He says “Technology means everything
nowadays and so does our health. We therefore want to create that opportunity
to get key stakeholders to start exploring ways we can map our way to better
health.”
GIS mapping applications
offer spatial analysis prowess with endless possibilities that include an
ability to prioritize spending, site service locations, and identify vulnerable
populations the result of which is better outcomes for patients, stakeholders,
and the public.
ABOUT
Penplusbytes is a not-for-profit organization driving change through innovations in three key areas: using new digital technologies to enable good governance and accountability, new media and innovations, and driving oversight for effective utilisation of mining, oil and gas revenue and resources.
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