There has been a lot of talk lately about artificial intelligence (AI) and the increased role it will play in the future of several industries, including healthcare. AI has for a long time been a part of healthcare but with the development of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, the incorporation of AI in everyday life as a routine part of work has taken on new meaning.
The current COVID-19 vaccination distribution programme had me thinking about the best ways to quickly identify segments of the population that could be most at risk, not just for COVID, but for any health issue that may come up and that we have to address nationally. We speak a lot about the social determinants of health, and now we can apply them to our healthcare planning, with technology, to get a better sense of the state and needs of the population and how we can address them with specific interventions.
Despite the very commendable effort of the Ministry of Health to reduce waiting time at public hospitals, it is still a major issue. A staff member at my company related to me that she took her grandmother to Kingston Public Hospital from 7 a.m. on a Friday for an assessment and did not leave the facility until 9 p.m.
This poses several problems, one of which obviously has to do with productivity, as an entire day off from work was required to achieve this.
The recent devastating impact of natural disasters in the Caribbean and North America has underscored the dangers we face here in the region.
The region is no stranger to this as many of us has had to rebuild several times after a natural disaster.
In preparing for these disasters we usually think of the loss of our fixed assets such as cars, homes and other property, but we seldom give consideration to the possibility of the loss of important data.
If, as a country, we are serious about improving the health of our population, there has to be a focus on technology-driven health literacy and access.
Technology can significantly enhance and promote health literacy, leading to improved behaviour necessary for better health outcomes.
With the growing use of the Internet by Jamaicans, wider cell phone usage and availability of affordable data plans, we have a real opportunity here.
The Caribbean’s leading health technology company, Advanced Integrated Systems (AIS) aims to improve the quality of healthcare through telemedicine.
AIS have already rolled out technology that will transform Jamaica into a country with the most comprehensive health information database, making telemedicine an easy transition. Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technology to provide clinical health care from a distance.
Douglas Halsall, Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Integrated Systems, AIS, is encouraged by the significant traction gained in the market by mobile money solution, Quisk.
Halsall was presenting on business opportunities that individuals can embark on with the use of digital cash and mobile payments at the Jamaica Computer Society IT Knowledge Forum held at the Jamaica Conference Centre last week.
