Adoption of eHealth private-public partnerships will create more than 700,000 new jobs according to Andrew Kibirige Lutwama, Uganda’s Ministry of Health eHealth Adviser. Speaking at the fourth Vodafone Power Talks held at the Kampala Serena Hotel recently, Lutwama said ehealth has high socio-economic potentials.
“The estimated socio-economic potential for eHealth is approximately $63m per year in the next five years with more than 600,000 new jobs in a private public partnership,” he said.
He said there are job opportunities in support services, private health facilities and health insurance services. This announcement will prove relevant in Uganda – a country with one of continent’s very high unemployment rates hovering between 75 per cent and 85 per cent of the population.
Vodafone Power Talks is an initiative aimed at bringing together key players in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ecosystem to share knowledge and experiences on the transformative power of ICT in different sectors.
Mr Allan Richardson, the chief executive officer Vodafone Uganda, underscored the significance of ICT in enhancing the delivery of quality health care to Ugandans.
“At Vodafone, we believe that m-Health and e-Health present a unique opportunity to move away from a focus on treatment of diseases to management of health on a regular basis,” said Mr Richardson in his remarks.
He added that access to up-to-date and relevant health information and knowledge by patients, health personnel, service providers, decision makers as well as researchers and funding institutions is vital for improved delivery of health services.
