PharmAccess blogs on mHealth for The Economist

From 18-19 November, PharmAccess managing director Onno Schellekens will be speaking at the Economist conference Health Care in Africa 2014 – Fast-tracking to the future in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

As such, he was invited to write a blog on his vision for the future of healthcare in Africa. The mobile phone is rapidly transforming Africa’s economic and social fabric. Schellekens advocates that mobile phones are set to revolutionize healthcare and bring quality care within reach for all.

The conference will focus on learning lessons from Africa’s successes to accelerate progress, looking at how to adopt and adapt elements of best practice and – crucially – what is needed in terms of political leadership, planning and partnerships to ensure these elements form part of a functioning and forward-looking healthcare system. It brings together policymakers, regulators, health care practitioners, donors, businesses, NGOs, and patient groups to discuss key issues in a critical but constructive format.

Topics to be discussed include new models for African health care. Schellekens will join other experts on Day 2 in a panel discussion on re-imagining Africa’s healthcare systems.