BMC Digital Health (Aug 2024)

Advancing digital healthcare in Somalia: a review of modern technologies and their implications

  • Mohamed Mustaf Ahmed,
  • Najib Isse Dirie,
  • Abdirahman Khalif Mohamud,
  • Abdikadir Hussein Elmi,
  • Shuaibu Saidu Musa,
  • Omar Abdulkarim Saeed Alhammadi,
  • Misha Abayneh Lemma,
  • Joselyne Uwamahoro,
  • Roméo Bananeza,
  • Yinusa Abdullahi,
  • Zhinya Kawa Othman,
  • Mohammed Raihanatu Hamid,
  • Omar Kasimieh,
  • Safouane Labyad,
  • Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s44247-024-00111-x
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 1
pp. 1 – 6

Abstract

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Abstract Somalia faces many challenges in providing adequate and accessible healthcare to its population, particularly in rural and remote areas. Lack of infrastructure, resources, and security hinders the delivery of quality health services and the prevention and control of diseases. However, modern technologies such as mobile phones, the Internet, and telemedicine offer new opportunities to digitize health care and improve health outcomes in Somalia. This paper explores the current state of healthcare in Somalia, the potential benefits, and challenges of using modern technologies to digitize healthcare, and the best practices and recommendations for implementing such technologies in the Somali context. This paper examines a telemedicine project that connects remote healthcare facilities with urban specialists. We assess its effectiveness and sustainability, showing its potential to improve healthcare in rural areas of Somalia. The review concludes that modern technologies can play a vital role in digitizing healthcare in Somalia, but they require careful planning, coordination, and evaluation to ensure their effectiveness and suitability.

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