Healthcare in Africa is a human-resource nightmare. According to the WHO's World Health Statistics for 2009, there are 2 doctors for every 10,000 people in Africa, 26 doctors for every 10,000 people in the US and 32 doctors for every 10,000 people in Europe. To many, the solution to this anomaly seems simple: train more African doctors. Unfortunately, many African-trained doctors choose to work outside the continent, where their skills are worth more. The result is a not-so-curious osmosis. Sociologists call it the "Matthew effect"; while I myself had the option of studying medicine in Ghana after high school, choosing Yale was a no-brainer.
So, how do we improve healthcare in spite of that? I believe the answer lies in personalized medicine. "Personalized medicine" is a buzz-phrase that captures current efforts to harness the latest advances in biomedical science and information technology to provide indivualized healthcare and democratize the practice of medicine. The parallel with the IT industry is striking; some 35 odd years ago, the idea of a "personal computer" was deemed oxymoronic at best. It is believed that personalized medicine would reduce medical costs significantly by encouraging a more preventive approach to healthcare.
In Africa, cheap and handy tools that give people more control over their healthcare could make a world of difference, compensating for the seemingly inevitable egress of health professionals from the continent.
Today I'd like to mention a company whose forward-looking technology, I believe, is pushing the envelope in this regard. T2 Biosystems uses NMR technology to detect the presence of bacteria, cancer, viruses and small molecule drugs in blood, saliva or urine. Their product, the NanoDx, is the nifty portable shown above (the picture is borrowed from the company website).
More on the NanoDx and how it works in my next blog.
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