A Framework for Mobile Health Management for Diseases in Nigeria with Benefits and Challenges

Oguntimilehin, A and Ademola, E.O (2014) A Framework for Mobile Health Management for Diseases in Nigeria with Benefits and Challenges. International Journal of Computing, Communications and Networking, 3 (1). pp. 1-6. ISSN 2319-2720

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Abstract

World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that African Region has a shortfall of 817,992 health workers. Sub-Saharan Africa faces the greatest challenges with 11% of the world’s population and 24% of the global burden of diseases; the region has only 3% of the world’s health workers commanding less than 1% of world health expenditure. The ratio of available facilities to the teeming population is also grossly inadequate. These are among the major reasons why computer (Information Technology (IT)) has been employed over the years to help in different areas of health carediagnosis, treatment, monitoring and medical records. It is very obvious that most of these computer based health management systems lack among other things the real time live interaction between health practitioners and patients. Mobile applications are now increasingly popular, though used mostly for instant messaging and social networking. In this paper we have proposed the use of mobile application to improve health care delivery system in Nigeria with real-time live chatting mode similar to the instant social chatting where diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of patients can be done through mobile technology. While readers’ attention was drawn to this, a framework of the proposed system was developed for health practitioners and researchers to look into so as to move Nigeria and other developing countries in African forward in the health sector.

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