THE GLOBAL SOUTH E-HEALTH OBSERVATORY “ICTS AND HEALTH CRISES: DIGITAL TOOLS ON THE FRONT LINE OF THE FIGHT AGAINST EPIDEMICS”, 15 OCTOBER 2020

THE GLOBAL SOUTH E-HEALTH OBSERVATORY “ICTS AND HEALTH CRISES: DIGITAL TOOLS ON THE FRONT LINE OF THE FIGHT AGAINST EPIDEMICS”, 15 OCTOBER 2020

On the 15 of October 2020, the 5th conference of the Global South eHealth Observatory has been held at the Foundation’s headquarters in Lavaur (Tarn).

We discussed on a topical subject which is the use of digital tools in times of health crises, e-health as being a key element in the fight against epidemics, during plenary sessions that bring together experts, field ecosystems, international organizations, ministries and NGOs.

This conference was also the opportunity for the Observatory to present and reward the most promising e-health initiatives of 2020, in the presence of the project leaders and remotely. Over the past 5 years, the Observatory has rewarded, and supported financially and technically, 34 initiatives.

This conference is organized in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement, the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, the Fondation de l’Avenir and the Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN).

Watch the best of the 2020 conference

Laureates 2020 Interviews

Anemiapp - Democratic Republic of the Congo

This application connects sickle-cell patients with healthcare professionals in the DRC, the African country bearing the second-largest burden of sickle cell anaemia, the world’s leading hereditary genetic disease. Anemiapp also supplies information on available treatments and advice to avoid acute crisis episodes, the leading cause of death in those with this disease.

eCentre Convivial –Togo

This application gives Togolese youth information on sexual and reproductive health through shared articles and educational messages. It also provides access to call-centre agents in a country where insufficient information leads to persistent risky behaviour among teens and young adults.

reach52 – Philippines / Cambodia / India

This project involves creating a virtual “market” for the health needs of remote and disadvantaged populations. The work is twofold: first, a network of volunteers uses a digital application to collect data to help identify needs; next, a coalition of public, private and non-profit entities make available free or nearly free offers tailored to a particular population’s resources. Structured around a system of “win-win” collaborations and partnerships between businesses, NGOs and government departments, reach52 offers a brighter future for healthcare access in low-income countries.

The Guinea Epilepsy Project – Guinea Republic

This winning project from 2018 has once again earned the Fondation Pierre Fabre’s support to expand its research programme. The first phase focused on developing a technological solution for making and storing brain recordings used in the diagnosis and treatment of people with epilepsy. This new phase will integrate artificial intelligence to make the tool more effective and complete, helping to compensate for Guinea’s lack of epilepsy specialists.

TT Tracker – Multi-country

This application gathers and analyses the outcomes of surgeries for trachomatous trichiasis, a neglected tropical disease of the eye that is believed to impact some 10 million people worldwide and, if not surgically treated by antibiotic therapy or surgery for advanced stages of the disease, lead to blindness. TT Tracker makes it possible for surgeons to enter evaluation and follow-up data on patients who have especially critical post-operative appointments. The data are also consolidated to allow global a global follow-up of the performance of surgical procedures and of the pathology whose final objective is its elimination. (photo @sightsavers)