Importance of Health Technology in Northern Nigeria
By Ozumi Abdul
Technology they say revolutionizes our lives. Love it or hate it, it affects almost everything we do today and also influences most of our plans for the future. Whether we experience the benefits of hearing aids or hearing implants, use mobile phones, use washing machines, vacuum cleaners, surf the internet or turn trackers on in our cars, we are constantly enjoying the benefits of technology.
One of the most important, and highly debated, elements of our society, especially in Northern Nigeria, is the quality of healthcare provided to patients. And, indisputably, a major driving force behind providing quality healthcare services is the adoption of technology that enables clinicians to provide better patient care.
The purpose of technology in healthcare is to provide better care for patients and help achieve health equity. It increases patient safety, decreases medical errors, and strengthens the interaction between patients and healthcare providers.
Using technology increases provider capabilities and patient access while improving the quality of life for some patients and saving the lives of others.
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Advancements in the healthcare sector in areas like biotechnology, information technology, pharmaceuticals and development of medical devices have made significant contributions in improving the health of people all around the world. In Nigeria, the use of ICT in the 21st century in the healthcare sector has transformed the delivery of care better than it used to be. ICT even though not effectively used and managed has had significant effects in terms of the quality of healthcare services delivery and keeping health records in Nigeria.
Remote monitoring systems in region like northern Nigeria allow patients to keep track of their health condition and avoid frequent visit to the doctors.
For instance, a glucose meter allows patients suffering from diabetes to monitor their blood sugar level at the comfort of their home and take the right diet accordingly. Same goes for the use of digital thermometers, digital sphygmomanometers, weighing scales and vital signs monitors among others.
Understanding a disease or its root cause has been made easier with the improved techniques and technologies. Use of improved equipments and machines in laboratories in most Nigerian hospitals has made it possible for laboratory scientists to view and design simulated models of structures as small as a cell.
Technology has now made it possible to understand complex biological structures and determine the cause of a disease or illness.
However, if there is one thing the recent coronavirus pandemic has revealed, it’s that healthcare sector in northern Nigeria direly needs intervention. There are challenges with logistics, testing, hospitals, and quarantine centers, finding enough healthcare workers, and effective use and management of health technology. However, private sector innovators have been leveraging on technology to improve healthcare delivery in the region.
Clearly, the need for advancement and improvement in northern Nigeria’s health technology cannot be overemphasized. Technological developments in healthcare have saved countless patients and are continuously improving our quality of life. There is a need to better manage and improve access and delivery of healthcare through the use of hi-tech, artificial intelligence and telemedicine in northern Nigeria.
