‘Digitalising the health care sector is an empowering measure for Africa and Europe’
Digitalisation makes medical care more efficient, safer and more patient-friendly. Kirstin Grosse Frie and Julius Murke, who implement digital health projects in Africa for GIZ, know what Africa and Europe can learn from each other.
Ms Grosse Frie, Mr Murke, how does digitalisation in health care improve people’s lives, particularly in African countries?
Julius Murke: Today, 30 per cent of all global data is health data already. This demonstrates how important the sector is. It accounts for 10 per cent of global economic output and is Europe’s second-largest export sector. As is the case everywhere in the world, the focus in Africa is also on making administrative processes in health care more efficient, for example, through digital billing systems, patient documentation in hospitals and logistics for medicine supply chains.
Digital applications can also pool patient data, such as X-ray images, lab results, diagnoses and treatment histories, in one place. Doctors and nurses can thus access it more quickly. Some countries, such as Kenya, have already made significant progress here, while others currently have not.
Kirstin Grosse Frie: Furthermore, such data can be anonymised and combined with climate data, for example, and used for public health protection. In one project, we used data from the European Space Agency to design AI models that indicate where malaria outbreaks are likely to occur. Health authorities will be able to use this data in the future to provide antimalarial drugs and mosquito repellents in the pinpointed regions in good time – without having to invest in new data collection systems.
‘In Africa, as in Europe, there is great interest in protecting health data from misuse and in retaining control of it.’
How else is GIZ supporting African countries in this field?
Grosse Frie: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was apparent that diseases are being transmitted from animals to humans more and more frequently. To prevent such infectious diseases or stop them at an early stage, we need to combine data from animal health and human medicine. However, this has barely been possible so far because data standards and information systems differ greatly. Often, researchers do not even know what data is available in other specialist fields.
Now, for the first time, we are bringing together partners from human medicine and animal health, both at the national level and at the level of the African Union, to create the basis for data exchange between ministries and countries.
Murke: At the national level, we are supporting our partner countries in making their health care systems digital, for example with electronic patient records. In short, we are advising them on developing a digital infrastructure for their health care systems.
‘We will become less dependent on the dominant American and Chinese providers.’
Europe, too, faces major challenges in digitalising health care. Can we learn from one another?
Grosse Frie: In Europe, a lot of data is trapped in data silos. These aredifferent systems that are not compatible. African countries can avoid such mistakes from the outset by creating an appropriate digital infrastructure. Essentially, this is the network and rules with which data flows back and forth and which the private sector uses to develop services.
Murke: Conversely, we see much stronger momentum on the African continent than in Europe for applications such as telemedicine, that is, medical consultation and treatment via video or by phone. GIZ has already supported several public-private partnerships in this field in Africa. This can serve as a model for Europe.
If Africa and Europe work together more closely on technology development in the health sector, we will also strengthen the digital economy on both continents. We will become less dependent on the dominant American and Chinese providers.
Does African-European cooperation also offer advantages in terms of data sovereignty?
Grosse Frie: Health data is sensitive data. In Africa, as in Europe, there is great interest in protecting it from misuse and in retaining control of it. Digital public infrastructure that specifies standards and open interfaces, together with the development and use of open-source solutions, can help reduce dependency on individual software providers. Africa and Europe can thus also create a framework for common markets and technology transfer – a prerequisite for remaining competitive against the tech giants.
Health data spaces are digital environments in which health data can be stored, managed and shared securely. Information on illnesses, treatments and preventive care, for example, is collected here. Doctors, nursing staff, patients, scientists and pharmaceutical companies engaged in research use the data to improve health care and develop new treatments.
Its use is subject to strict rules such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Not every user is able to view all personal data. While doctors have access to all patient health information, for example, so that they are informed about allergies and pre-existing conditions in an emergency, researchers are usually unable to identify individuals. They receive anonymised data. They can use this to check whether a treatment is effective or to detect the first signs of epidemics, for example.
How can Africa and Europe use health data jointly to improve people’s lives on both continents?
Murke: In Europe and Africa, we need to create ‘health data spaces’ – transnational data spaces for health data. Researchers can use this anonymised data to develop new medicines and therapies more quickly. At the same time, they enable the fair, transparent and secure exchange of data.
Grosse Frie: Fundamentally, digitalisation gives people better access to information on their health and risks. The data helps them to live healthier lives, make informed decisions and demand better protection. Research and technology development also require access to this high-quality data to improve the diagnosis of diseases and to personalise prevention and treatment. We are only at the beginning of this process worldwide. Digitalising the health care sector is therefore a genuinely empowering measure for people and the economy in Africa and Europe.