Accra, Sept. 15, GNA – Some patients living with hypertension and diabetes in the country are now experiencing a unique and more personalized form of care following the introduction of a Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) Mobile Application with self-management tools.
The mobile app, known as NCD Care, has built-in protocols that allow patients to enter their daily blood pressure and blood sugar measurements to be monitored and managed remotely by their doctors in real time.
Non-communicable Diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer are leading causes of death worldwide, representing an emerging global health threat.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has predicted that by 2030, NCDs are expected to become the leading cause of death in Africa.
In Ghana, hypertension is a common cause of medical emergencies such as heart failure and kidney failure.
Over the years, it has become increasingly challenging to sustainably include and retain the growing numbers of people living with NCDs in care using the current service and pricing models.
Therefore, the NCD Care programme, introduced in 2020 by the Global Health Organization, PharmAccess Foundation, and Luscii, a digital health innovator, has improved access to care for some patients who have been on the app since its introduction.
Madam Baaba Otu, a user of the mobile app, speaking to Journalists in Accra on the NCD Care as part of the Global Week for Action on NCDs, said the app was very convenient to use.
“I was introduced to the programme by my doctor and given my own monitor, so I can check my BP from the comfort of my home,” she said.
She said with the NCD Care programme, patients measure and input their BP or blood sugar measurements in the app, and their doctors receive automatic alerts, which provide information on the patient’s health condition, thus, enabling the medical doctor to reach out via phone or messages as soon as risks are detected.
The app also allows patients to be put on appropriate care based on risk levels, perform self-monitoring, and access health information, lifestyle advice, and medication reminder messages.
It also helps individuals to modify their behaviour through lifestyle management, medication adherence, and education.
“As most African health systems are severely underfunded, innovative solutions that provide affordable care for the growing patient groups are urgently needed,” she added.
Partnership originated in COVID time where Luscii Healthtech, PharmAccess Foundation and the University of Ghana Medical Centre started collaborating early in the COVID pandemic with a mobile application called COVIDConnect.
The app and service developed by Luscii and OLVG hospital in the Netherlands was successfully scaled to three African countries with the network and support of PharmAccess.
The service allowed people to self-check for symptoms that may be caused by the coronavirus.
Also, due to the app’s versatility, it was adapted for monitoring two non-communicable diseases with high prevalence: diabetes and hypertension.
The ‘NCD Care’ is complementing Ghana’s NCD strategy in line with the national health policy.
The NCD pilot has started with three hospitals, the University of Ghana Medical Centre, Greater Accra Regional Hospital and 37 Military Hospital.
She indicated that medical staff in those hospitals had been trained and medical teams were adjusting the structural flow of work to integrate the use of the app.
The responsiveness of the medical teams so far is commendable. After receiving alerts of irregular blood and glucose levels of their patients, 65% to 75% of the alerts are processed within 48 hours, depending on the type of alerts given.
The program is meant to improve health outcomes and the responsiveness of participating medical staff, with emphasis on self-management, prevention and management of complicated cases.
Dr Maxwell Antwi, the Country Director for PharmAccess Ghana, explained that since the inception of the NCD Care program, patients had been enthusiastic about measuring their blood pressure and blood glucose at least twice every month.
Apart from improving health outcomes for patients, he said, the pilot had also improved the participation of medical staff, with emphasis on self-management, prevention and management of complicated cases.
Dr Antwi stated that PharmAccess and Luscii shared the ambition to bring the digitally enabled chronic care model to the market within the next three years.
For this to be successful, he said, they would optimize to improve outcomes and expand their network of collaborators, including clinicians and healthcare investors in the countries.
The PharmAccess Country Director thanked the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and said: “We have been able to make a three-year plan with Luscii and optimize the mobile monitoring service. With these promising first results, we are hoping to expand in Ghana and beyond, so that we can improve the health prospects of the millions of Africans still waiting to receive care for NCDs”.
Dr Ronald Scheffer, Co-founder of Lusci, on his part, said it hoped to improve clinical outcomes for patients with NCDs and reduce healthcare costs.
He said it had seen strong results in the reduction of unnecessary hospital visits and improved quality of care in Europe, noting that, its technology has the potential to have even a bigger impact in Africa, and especially on NCD care.
“With this multi-year partnership, we are taking the next step to make our dream of revolutionizing healthcare become reality,” he added.
GNA