Browsing: Health sector in Africa

An analytical telemedicine system is provided by MediLiVes; the system aims to reduce the time and money required for medical tests.

MediLiVes is a forward-thinking project that provides telemedicine solutions that are one-of-a-kind and cutting-edge.

One of the fields experiencing the most rapid expansion worldwide is telemedicine, which is built on technology that allows for a patient’s health status to be monitored from a distance.…

Blood donation has fallen significantly in the African continent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic causing widespread disruptions to key health services, lives and livelihoods. This is according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

An analysis by WHO found that the frequency of blood drives in the African region has dropped by 25 per cent and demand for blood declined by 13 per cent, with the suspension of routine surgeries in some countries and fewer people seeking care in health facilities. Around seven million people in the region need blood transfusions every year. 

Just half of the blood needed for transfusion each year in Africa is collected, leaving many facing life-threatening shortages. The pandemic has further worsened the shortfall, with donations dropping by 17 per cent over the past year according to the WHO. 

Also read; Boost for Kenya’s blood bank as new system is launched

If the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa that was recently adopted by the African Union is anything to go by, only few member states have strong regulatory authorities with the functions necessary to oversee the pharmaceutical markets.

Africa represents 14% of the world’s population, however, it only contributes to less than 0.1 per cent of world’s vaccine. According to data by the World Health Organisation, (WHO) there are fewer than 10 African manufacturers with vaccine production. These are based in five countries namely Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia. There is very limited upstream production with most local companies only engaging in packaging and labelling, and occasionally fill and finish steps. Noteworthy, there are about 80 sterile injectables facilities on the continent, which may provide an opportunity for vaccine production given the primary dosage form in Africa is vials.

How does that capacity affect vaccine availability in the continent?

My July op-ed focused on the increased M&A activities in Africa under Covid-19. Network International announced the acquisition of Africa’s leading online commerce platform, DPO for $288M on 28^th July 2020, confirming my analysis that we are going to see more M&A activities going forward.”

According to Keet van Zyl, Managing Partner of Knife Capital (which turned ten last week), who managed Mark Shuttleworth’s ‘Here Be Dragons’ Fund – this is likely the largest tech acquisition in Africa since Shuttleworth sold Thawte to Verisign for $575m in 1999″. SoftBank, which had a $16.5B loss in Q1, returned to a $12B net profit in Q2, courtesy of the merger and partial sale of its stake in Sprint to T-Mobile, as well as a recovery in its $100B vision fund portfolio. This means global M&A is also picking steam in the “valley of coronavirus” as Masayoshi Son put it.

Under COVID-19, …

The dream of a world without hunger seemed achievable three years ago. However, with increasing challenges such as those recorded recently like the locust invasion and the novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) that is still wrecking lives across the globe, the future looks bleak. 

Africa accounts for the highest number of people suffering acute food insecurity due to conflicts and tensions between communities.  

According to the 2020 Global Report on Food Crisis (GRFC 2020): “In East Africa, armed conflicts, intercommunal violence and other localized tensions continued to affect peace and security.” 

Moreover, “the upheaval that has been set in motion by the COVID-19 pandemic may push even more families and communities into deeper distress, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, added in the Forward of the report.  

Also Read: Crop insurance to ensure food security and poverty reduction

The global food policy report published April …