White Paper

Digital Health Systems

in Africa
A convergence of opportunities
AURELIO ARIAS, Director, EMEA Thought Leadership, IQVIA
AARON WRIGHT, Analyst, EMEA Thought Leadership, IQVIA
JULIA WASZAK, Intern Analyst, EMEA Thought Leadership, IQVIA
Table of contents

Executive Summary 1

Introduction 2

Unlocking the potential of a digital Africa 2

Digital maturity scores across African countries 3

Summary of results 3

Initiatives 3

Infrastructure 4

Implementation 6

Moving forward, bit by bit 8

Private/Public sector disparity 8

Underdeveloped EHR systems 8

Mobile Health prominent but not universal 9

Scalability and long-term commitment 10

Future-fit systems 10

Conclusion 10

Methodology 11

References 12

About the authors 13

Executive summary
Africa’s young tech-savvy population, combined with a rise in non-communicable
diseases and a threat from climate change, is creating a convergence in health
challenges that can be unlocked by digital technologies.
The needs for digitisation faced by Africa are borne 4. Scalability and long-term commitment:
from similar causes as highly developed regions but Numerous initiatives across Africa generate
opportunities manifest themselves differently due to interest and attention, but their actual impact
unique features such as: remains questionable.

• Timing: Many open-source technologies are 5. Future-fit systems: African countries primarily
maturing right now. emphasise healthcare focused on addressing
infectious diseases. However, there is a steady
• Leapfrogging: Bypassing systemic challenges in
continental shift occurring, from acute diseases
infrastructure development.
to chronic conditions.

• Collaboration: Opportunity to build pan-African

Africa stands at a transformative juncture in its
standards and regulations.
healthcare evolution and the continent is increasingly
prepared to capitalise on greater digitisation. These
• Open source: Collaborative approaches are
advancements will allow Africa to prepare for novel
cost-effective solutions and scalable.
challenges in the evolving healthcare landscape, from
• Determination: International multi-donor evolving disease patterns to the health impacts of a
funded initiatives. changing climate.

The results from the surveys show the following

five areas as focus areas for policymakers and other
interested parties:

1. P
 rivate/Public sector disparity: Private sector
funding is often greater than that of the public sector,
particularly in the initial phases of projects.

2. Underdeveloped Electronic Health Records:

There is no consistency across countries concerning
the existence of operational EHR networks that are
both comprehensive and widely used.

3. M
 obile Health prominent but not universal:
mHealth holds the promise of enabling African
nations to bypass the historical route to digital
maturity, however, there are substantial variations in
its implementation across countries.

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Introduction
Africa stands at the fore of global demographic change, • L
 eapfrogging: Bypassing systemic challenges in
poised for rapid growth as its population is projected infrastructure and provision – particularly the absence
to reach 26% of the world’s total by 2050, up from 18% of existing infrastructure – to build resilient and
today. The continent is full of tech-savvy youngsters
1
responsive solutions to future challenges based on
entering the workforce, ready to apply new tools to old latest-generation technologies.
problems, aided by the presence of robust companies
• C
 ollaboration: Opportunity to build pan-African
making use of latest generation infrastructure. This is
regulation that supports and encourages digital
accompanied by a transformation in the epidemiological
healthcare innovation and improved healthcare
landscape, with non-communicable diseases expected
outcomes.
to be the primary cause of both mortality and morbidity
by 2030.2 Combined, this is on the verge of creating a • O
 pen source: A necessary focus on open source,
paradigm shift in how African nations have traditionally collaborative approaches is driving the development
monitored and provisioned healthcare. of cost-effective solutions which can subsequently
scale with greater ease.
Simultaneously, there is a rising commitment to
fostering self-sufficiency and a commercially sustainable • D
 etermination: Worldwide recognition for the
pharmaceutical sector across what is the world’s largest need to improve African healthcare has sparked
free trade zone.3 This is as major global events, like multi-donor funded initiatives to improve
climate change, future pandemics, and political instability infrastructure and technology.
continue to impact the continent, affecting population
In our first study4, predominantly focused on Europe,
health as resources deteriorate and conflicts arise.
we concluded that many countries had identified
What’s more, the recent pandemic laid bare the healthcare as a core pillar in their digital strategy, but
deficiencies in Africa’s manufacturing, distribution, often varied greatly in their success in translating policy
regulatory, and clinical development capacities, into real-world networks and infrastructure to achieve
underscoring the effect of decades of underinvestment their aims. This new study shows that many of the
in healthcare. The tide is changing however, and the challenges faced in Africa and Europe stem from similar
timing could not be more opportune: African health root causes like cultural attitude, trust in institutions,
systems are gearing up to embrace digital technologies, sustainable financing and competent leadership. These
just as these innovations are gaining global prominence. challenges manifest themselves differently in Africa due
to the unique features in the continent, which include:
Unlocking the potential of a digital Africa
• Large public and private innovation divide
African healthcare will not realise its potential through
the routes historically followed by the developed • Greater use of mobile technology
markets. Digitisation will be core to African health • Majority of care distributed across rural areas
system’s development because of the following unique • A traditional focus on infectious diseases
characteristics:
• A
 lack of healthcare IT backbone, limiting the
development of applications
• Timing: The rise of digital technologies globally
will coincide with African health systems’ next
A dedicated study benchmarking countries within the
steps in maturity – from Universal Healthcare,
African continent is necessary to further assess the
better data collection, development of resilience
challenge of increasing digital maturity and any
and responsiveness, and increasing self-reliance in
potential solutions.
healthcare provision.

2 | Digital Health Systems in Africa: A convergence of opportunities

 A more sustainable approach involves leveraging several
Digital maturity scores across key factors. Firstly, the presence of motivated individuals
African countries in government positions with the resources and
mandates to engender action is crucial. While hard to pin
Summary of results down, indicators are being refined to assess this, such as
The summarised results from the Digital Health System the UN’s E-Government Knowledgebase. Secondly, open-
Maturity Score are the average of all scores from source tools offer cost-effective solutions and maximise
fourteen elements, covering Initiatives, Infrastructure interoperability, and lastly, knowledge-sharing and
and Implementation and detailed in the Methodology partnerships enhance coordination among stakeholders.
section of this paper. The scoring corresponds to discrete
stages in a country’s path towards maturity and are The problem then, is less one of loosening the purse-
summarised in Figure 1. strings, but of finding the right human capital and
empowering them to execute clear objectives.
Unlike our first study, we find that there is no correlation
between per-capita purchasing power and digital Initiatives
maturity score. A pivotal determinant for digital growth POLICY MOMENTUM WAVERS
in African nations is the presence of political will and In the last decade, numerous African nations have
effective coordination to allocate resources effectively. initiated digital health strategies; however, a recurring
Infrastructure projects are expensive – for instance, the issue lies in the lapse of these strategies without
UK’s NHS digitisation efforts, which incurred significant subsequent updates, especially after the COVID-19
costs and yet failed, ranked as one of the most expensive pandemic. Figure 2 shows the status of these strategies
civilian computer projects ever undertaken.5 While and their launch sequence.
these budget overruns can be shouldered by affluent
Overcoming stale policies requires a structured
countries, the risk appetite and fiscal bandwidth for such
approach involving the establishment of defined
endeavours are limited in Africa.
expiration dates, as well as a long-term continuity plan.

Figure 1: Level of digital health system maturity across Africa

5
Digital Health System Maturity Score 5 – Sophisticated at a national scale
A country’s overall rating is 4 – Regional maturity and scaling
constructed from multiple elements 3 – Developing rapidly with potential
and broadly corresponds to: 2 – Underdeveloped and challenged
1 – Very little digital progress
4
Digital Health System Maturity Score

Kenya
Rwanda Nigeria
Malawi
Benin Ghana
3 Burundi
Senegal Mauritania Namibia
Niger Uganda South Africa
Liberia Morocco
D.R.C. Cameroon Côte d’lvoire Egypt
Mozambique Gabon
2
Sierra Leone
Chad
C.A.R. Guinea-Bissau Northern
1 Western
Middle
Eastern
Southern

0
0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000 18,000 20,000
GDP per capita (USD, purchasing power parity)

Source: IQVIA EMEA Thought Leadership; Based on interviews, surveys and scores from the Global Digital Health Monitor May 2023.
Notes: D.R.C. = Democratic Republic of the Congo; C.A.R. = Central African Republic

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Figure 2: National digital health strategies in African countries
2023

Kenya
Zimbabwe
Malawi
Ethiopia
D.R.C.
Cameroon
South Africa
Tanzania
Guinea
Niger
Rwanda
Zambia
Uganda
Nigeria
Botswana
Egypt
Senegal
Chad Digital Health
Strategy publications
Mozambique
Mali First
Second
Côte d’Ivoire
Third
Angola Fourth
Ghana

2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030

Source: IQVIA EMEA Thought Leadership; HELINA.

Notes: Not exhaustive.

Such time limits serve to ensure the timely completion example where many separate health systems roll up into
of associated projects, mitigate runaway costs, and one central tool, but the data is not necessarily clean. Even
establish clear provisions for strategy refreshment. when interoperability is obtained, Healthcare providers
(HCPs), patients and administrators must be trained to
A notable example is Nigeria, which has previously
input data and make these networks useful.
exhibited a commendable digital health strategy instilled
with legally mandated time-bound provisions. However, The 2013 study suggests that these challenges can be
it is now outdated, and whilst stakeholders are seeking overcome by:
the formulation of a revised strategy there are no fixed
• L
 eadership, governance and multi-sector
plans for one on the horizon.
engagement: To ensure coordination, provide political
Infrastructure leadership and engage stakeholders. We recognise
CONTINUOUS NEED FOR RIGOUR WITH STANDARDS that strong leadership at all levels in government is a
In our first study, we found that many developed countries critical success factor.
struggled to turn their digital strategy into reality because
• Strategy and investment: Align funding to strategies
of the complexity of constructing infrastructure, given the
that are a priority for the country so scarce resources can
various standards and legacy systems already in place. A
be allocated effectively. Focus on setting up healthcare
2013 paper6 identified the many barriers in choosing and
IT backbones to accelerate ecosystem development.
adopting standards in Africa and this study concluded that
these challenges continue to persist. These include the • Legislation: Policy and compliance. Creates the
lack of recognition and implementation of standards at a environment and necessary legal frameworks to protect
national level, coupled with a workforce gap. Ghana is an intellectual property, resolve conflicts and instil trust.

4 | Digital Health Systems in Africa: A convergence of opportunities

• Workforce: Having an adequately skilled workforce In Africa, well-established EHR systems tend to focus
available to enact policies is necessary. Most on specific areas, such as infectious diseases including
countries in our study scored poorly on this element HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, or Malaria. Additionally, they
and a glaring area needing action is the gender are a prerequisite for the collection and collation of
gap between internet users, with countries such as anonymised patient data for the purposes of public
Tanzania, Cameroon and Niger exhibiting a nearly 10% health management including:
difference in fewer women using the internet
• D
 isease surveillance and routine immunisation
(2016–17).7 Improving the gender gap is an effective
tracking
way to augment a skilled workforce.
• Health information exchange
ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS UNDER PRESSURE
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are digital versions of • Health facility and patient records management
patient’s medical histories, treatment plans, and critical
• Health education and promotion
health information. In our first study, we found that EHRs
had a profound impact on understanding care provision • F
 acilitating innovation through software-as-a-service
on a deeper level and, importantly, provided a backbone applications
from which other applications could interact at a national
EHRs are also necessary to develop the large data lakes
level. However, the implementation of EHRs in African
that can be used by private initiatives developing tools to
countries comes with a unique set of challenges, primarily
augment public health provision.
stemming from resource limitations and inadequate
infrastructure throughout remote areas. Despite Three noteworthy open-source EHR systems have risen
successful pilot programs, the transition to publicly to prominence in Africa: DHIS2, OpenMRS, and Bahmni.
managed EHR systems is challenged by a lack of strong These three common EHRs in Africa collectively contribute
leadership, technological competence and the lack of legal to the transformation of healthcare management across
preparedness in governing data collection and storage. the continent. They are described in detail in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Commonly used EHR systems in Africa

DHIS2 OpenMRS Bahmni

District Health Information System 2 The Open Medical Records System Bahmni is a comprehensive electronic
is the most widely deployed Health allows the design of customised medical record system and hospital
Information Management System medical records systems tailored to solution designed for resource-
platform. As of 2023, it can also be used various healthcare needs. constrained settings.
for disease surveillance. It consolidates and enhances existing
This can include HIV/AIDs,
Used by Health Ministries of 80 low and non-communicable diseases, open-source products, including
middle-income countries, impacting drug-resistant Tuberculosis, OpenMRS, as well as products for
40% of the world’s population primary care and oncology. medical images, laboratory
management, inventory, billing,
First implemented at the national level Well-rated, with a score of 79% by and financial accounting.
in 2012 in countries like Ghana, the Digital Impact Exchange,
Can operate independently from
Rwanda, and Kenya. highlighting its utility, design and
the internet, ensuring usability at
In 2022, Rwanda achieved a milestone community support. the point of care with minimal
in interoperability by integrating a Possesses the ability to interface with training requirements.
vaccine registry and electronic birth DHIS2, with ongoing development of Addresses issues including incomplete
systems. an HL7 FHIR system. patient histories, unifying patient
South Africa continued innovation in Deployed in 40 countries, across records, user-centricity, and can provide
2023 by integrating Human Resources more than 8000 sites and access to teleconsultation.
for Health using DHIS2 and FHIR. with 17 million patients. Used as part of the EndTB project, which
tested Bedaquiline and Delamanid.

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Whilst these EHR systems are widespread throughout The next logical step from mobile finance, is the
Africa, as shown in Figure 4 with at least one system extension to Mobile Health (mHealth), often using the
deployed in most countries, this does not tell the whole same platforms, e.g. M-PESA and M-TIBA. mHealth
story. Although the data may initially suggest wide initiatives have expanded healthcare access, particularly
adoption of EHRs in Africa, what is not shown is the scale in remote areas, providing telemedicine consultations,
health education, and appointment reminders via SMS
of deployment of these systems, their degree of use by
and smartphone applications. This has been beneficial in
HCPs, or the quality of the data they contain. These factors
the chronic space, where patients benefit from remote
are the true determinants of the efficacy of an EHR system,
monitoring, and in emergency situations where rapid
and indeed the implementation and use of these systems
communications have saved lives. RapidSMS is an example
vares widely in countries where they have been deployed.
tool that helped community health workers track pregnant
women in 15,000 villages in Rwanda for their first 1,000
Figure 4: EHR system country coverage days.11 The national rollout was seen as a success, although
some challenges were encountered, such as access to
electricity and cost of sending SMS messages.12

Outside investments
Precedents exist for successful investments into African
infrastructure, and telecommunication infrastructure
delivery is an analogous case to digitising health systems.
It has morphed from a traditionally public sector
responsibility to increased private sector involvement
due to funding constraints and a demand for dynamic
tech innovation. While private investment, especially in
mobile telephony, has surged, governments still retain a
control over regulation. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
form to develop telecoms infrastructure by mobilising
private capital without overwhelming public finances.
This is done by clearly delineating responsibilities
and spreading the risk across multiple parties. These
collaborations have worked well, increasing access to
telecoms across Africa, and the same could be applied to
advance digital health system maturity.
DHIS2 OpenMRS Bahmni

(Combination of colour and shading indicates systems used) However, outside investments in African countries comes
Source: See references 8–10. with systemic risks, including political instability and
the potential for assets to be seized or nationalised by
Implementation succeeding governments. To mitigate these associated
MOBILE HEALTH LEAPFROGGING risks, international organisations can:
By leveraging mobile technology, African countries have
• C
 onduct independent due diligence: Before making
leapfrogged traditional technology barriers with success in
any investments, organisations should commission
mobile finance throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. They have
thorough risk assessments that consider political,
bypassed the need for extensive physical infrastructure
economic, and security factors. This assessment
and adopted innovative solutions that are more adaptable
should include an analysis of the country’s history of
to their unique challenges, including access to healthcare
political stability, the rule of law, and the protection of
in remote areas and affordability of services.
property rights.

6 | Digital Health Systems in Africa: A convergence of opportunities

• Shape contracts and purchase insurance: • Stay informed and flexible: Maintain flexibility in
Contracts can include legal safeguards like dispute investment strategies and diversify investments where
resolution and matched payments to spread risk. possible. Risk assessments should be updated regularly
Political Risk Insurance can be purchased to protect based on changing political conditions, and preparations
investments against the risk of asset seizure, should be put in place to adapt plans as needed.
nationalisation, or non-payments.
It is important to recognise that investing in regions
• Build strong partnerships: Collaborating with local with political instability does carry inherent risks that
organisations and governments can help establish a cannot be eliminated entirely. Therefore, organisations
stronger presence and gain a better understanding should carefully weigh the potential risk-benefits of
of the political landscape. Local partners can provide their investments and ensure they have a robust risk
valuable insights and support in navigating political management plan in place when considering investments
challenges. Moreover, demonstrating a commitment to in African countries with political challenges.
the development of the local community can help build
goodwill and support among local stakeholders, which
can be valuable during times of political uncertainty.

Rwanda’s success in digital health

Rwanda, a small country of 14mn inhabitants (2022)13, Information Exchange (RHIE), has made medical
boasts a highly mature digital health system driven by histories easily accessible amongst healthcare
several key enablers, some of which are listed below: providers. The first phase of RHIE served maternal
and paediatric uses.18
• C
 ommitment from the government: Rwanda’s
government has displayed strong commitment • N
 ational ID and health insurance: The rollout
to healthcare digitisation. Their vision for a of a national ID for Rwandans aged 16 and over
technologically advanced healthcare system is simplifies patient identification and reduces errors.19
reflected in comprehensive national strategies, the In addition, the country’s universal health insurance
latest being the “Rwanda eHealth Strategic Plan system, Mutuelles de Santé, has played an important
2018–2023”. In the broader sense, Rwanda has role by promoting efficient record-keeping.
some of the highest African scores in government
• C
 ommunity Health Workers (CHW): Rwanda has
effectiveness14 and political stability15, giving
leveraged its extensive network of 45,00020 CHWs who
reassurance to outside investors.
use mobile phones and tablets for data collection and
• T
 elecommunications infrastructure: Investment patient care in rural areas. The CHW programme is
in infrastructure, including nationwide 4G and 5G seen as a key driver of success in the country.
coverage, has laid a solid foundation for digital
• G
 lobal partnerships: Collaborations with
health initiatives. This connectivity extends even
international organisations and donors have
to remote areas, where national 4G coverage rose
provided technical and financial support for digital
from 62% in 2016 to 99% in 2021.16 Recently, Rwanda
initiatives. Notable collaborations include Partners
opened up the market for network providers to
in Health; Gavi, the Vaccines alliance; The Global
encourage competition and greater affordability.17
Fund; and USAID amongst others.
• E
 arly EHR rollout: The implementation of a unified
EHR system over a decade ago, the Rwanda Health

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 Private/public sector disparity
Moving forward, bit by bit
Private sector funding is often greater than that of
Many recurring problem areas were identified during the public sector, particularly in the initial phases of
the expert interviews. These problem areas, which must projects. A challenge arises from the lack of coordination
be addressed to progress digital maturity in Africa, are between the two sectors in securing long-term financial
highlighted in Figure 5. support for initiatives and so it is imperative to couple
both sectors progress harmoniously; otherwise,
there is a risk that private enterprises may encounter
Figure 5: Five key recommendations
predicaments.

Firstly, they may introduce innovative solutions that the

Private/Public
1 sector disparity
country is ill-prepared to fully leverage. For instance,
deploying advanced machine learning models when
the underlying data is shallow and unclean may yield
limited results. This concern was highlighted in Nigeria,
Underdeveloped
2 EHR systems
where it was suggested that adopting a people-centred
healthcare model21 would limit the over-implementation
of digital solutions.

mHealth
3 prominent but Alternatively, they may face limitations in their ability
not universal to thrive, primarily due to inadequate infrastructure
development at a national scale. A common example of
this is when there is no widely adopted EHR system in
Scalability
4 and long-term place to support the innovations being introduced.
commitment
To mitigate these challenges, both sectors can secure
adequate funding and synchronise the pace of
Future-fit innovation with the country’s readiness. This requires a
5 systems collaborative approach and in Table 1 we list strategies
that all parties can employ.

Underdeveloped EHR systems

There is no consistency across countries concerning
A challenge arises from the lack the existence of operational EHR networks that
are both comprehensive and widely used (see EHR
of coordination between the
section above and Figure 4). EHR networks serve as the
private and public sectors in foundational bedrock of systems infrastructure, a fact

securing long-term financial underscored in our prior report, where we noted that
all European countries have harnessed EHRs to provide
support for initiatives and so it is population-level insights.
imperative to couple both sectors
progress harmoniously.

8 | Digital Health Systems in Africa: A convergence of opportunities

Table 1: Potential actions to mitigate the disparity between private and public sectors

PRIVATE SECTOR ACTIONS PUBLIC SECTOR ACTIONS

Demonstrate value: Clearly articulate the value of digital Policy and Regulatory frameworks: Establish supportive
solutions by providing evidence of how these tools can frameworks that include data privacy and security
address specific healthcare challenges that are aligned to the regulations, interoperability standards, and licensing
national digital health strategy. procedures.

Resource allocation: Prioritise innovation within limited

Capacity building: Private organisations can offer training and
budgets by allocating resources strategically. Recognise
capacity-building to public sector employees to enhance their
the long-term benefits of digitisation and allocate funds
ability to manage digital tools effectively.
accordingly.

Incentives: Incentivise private organisations to invest in

Sustainability plans: Outline how the digital solution will be
healthcare innovation. This could include tax breaks, grants,
maintained and funded over the long term, and ultimately
or access to public healthcare facilities for testing and
transferred to the public sector.
implementation.

Mobilise finance: Access to private capital is a key advantage Monitoring and evaluation: Implement robust mechanisms
and sustainable, catalytic funding must be sought from to track the impact of projects. Data-driven assessments can
investors with a long-term perspective. help justify ongoing support and inform decision-making.

BOTH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR ACTIONS

Advocacy and awareness: Advocate the importance of digital health and educate the public by collaborating with NGOs and
community leaders about the benefits, to garner support and create demand for these services.

Public-Private Partnerships: Explore opportunities for PPPs that include sharing innovations, demonstrating potential benefits,
and gathering feedback from government stakeholders.

To address this challenge effectively, a full evaluation While the recognition of the imperative to bolster mobile
of which open-source EHR systems are suitable capabilities is widespread, a critical gap persists: there
for the country is imperative. Then, they should be is a lack of solutions that are open source and can be
systematically introduced into primary and secondary implemented across multiple countries.
care centres, particularly those handling the highest
To bridge this gap effectively, Pan-African initiatives
patient volumes and rare cases.
should actively promote the creation of open-source
Crucially, this integration must be coupled with extensive mHealth backbone infrastructure that is intricately
physician and patient education, ensuring a deep linked to national infrastructure. This approach not only
understanding of the advantages and risks associated empowers established mobile technology operators to
with hosting health information digitally. expand their offerings in this domain, but also promotes
the adoption of data standards and legislative clarity.
Mobile Health prominent but not universal
mHealth holds the promise of enabling African Nigeria is an exemplar, boasting a thriving health
nations to bypass the historical route to digital tech sector and a large array of mobile apps
maturity, however, there are substantial variations in under development.
its implementation across countries.

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Scalability and long-term commitment
Conclusion
Numerous initiatives across Africa generate interest
and attention, but their actual impact remains Africa stands at a transformative juncture in its
questionable. The root causes lie in their limited healthcare evolution. With a young population and
scalability and inadequate long-term funding, leading an increasing rise in the burden of disease from non-
to a trail of failed projects that never achieve national communicable diseases, the continent is increasingly
implementation, which is commonly referred to as prepared to capitalise on greater digitisation.
“pilotitis” — this even resulted in a moratorium on new
Sustainable financing will expand access to promising
projects in Uganda in 2012.22
services, and collaboration amongst nations will be a
To address this challenge effectively, it is vital to identify crucial step for this transformation. Building robust EHR
projects with the potential for scalability, particularly platforms should be a priority, allowing for patient-focus
those capable of spanning multiple countries. These and disease monitoring, better health outcomes and
initiatives should be closely aligned with policy objectives addressing emerging health threats effectively.
that are tied to secured funding and have well-defined The expansion of open source mHealth platforms offers
timelines that facilitate regular reviews and updates. a means to bridge gaps in access in remote areas. All this
will accelerate Africa’s ambitions to provide universal
Ensuring stakeholder buy-in is paramount, and this can be health coverage.
achieved by establishing Technical Working Groups that
can include representatives from private companies and These advancements, coupled with visionary leadership
NGOs, but which are primarily led by the government, an and a focus on collaboration, will allow Africa to succeed
approach that has seen success in Malawi. 23 in tackling the novel challenges it will face in the evolving
healthcare landscape, ranging from evolving disease
Future-fit systems patterns to the health impacts of a changing climate.
African countries primarily emphasise healthcare
focused on addressing infectious diseases. However,
there is a steady continental shift from acute
diseases to chronic conditions.24 As cardiovascular With a young population and an
diseases, neonatal conditions, and musculoskeletal increasing rise in the burden of
disorders steadily increase in their contribution to
the overall disease burden, this will warrant proactive
disease from non-communicable
monitoring to meet future demands. diseases, the continent is
Consequently, it is important to carry out strategic increasingly prepared to capitalise
measures to equip hospitals and specialist centres on greater digitisation.
with the requisite hardware and digital tools to ensure
they are adequately prepared to meet the burgeoning
demand for services in these changing areas of
healthcare. Underpinning this change is the need to
first implement backbone infrastructure to provide a
healthcare information system that can monitor and
track disease change.

10 | Digital Health Systems in Africa: A convergence of opportunities

Methodology

Figure 6: Study Framework

Data extracted from the Global Digital Health Monitor and combined with external expert
interviews and surveys on 14 elements
The three I’s
Initiatives Data
Policy Funding Institutions Legal
Enabling Policies and Frameworks Governance

Infrastructure
EHR Data Standards Interoperability Connectivity Workforce
Platforms and Standards

Implementation Advanced
Telehealth Information use Mobile Health
Application of Data and Tools Analytics

Scored from 1 to 5, broadly:

5 – Sophisticated at a national scale
4 – Regional maturity and scaling
3 – Developing rapidly with potential
2 – Underdeveloped and challenged
1 – Very little digital progress

Scores calibrated to ensure international consistency across different respondents

The average of all 14 elements constitutes the country’s overall

Digital Health System Maturity Score

Figure 7: Description of each element

Initiatives
Enabling Policies Policy Funding Data Governance Institutions Legal
and Frameworks
• Importance of • Earmarked funding • Data security and • Named public and • Legal frameworks
digital health • Transparency privacy measures non-profit bodies and enforcement
in policy and ease of • Control and with power to that enable digital
• Specific and quantification ownership of data regulate and health
temporal influence
• Digital Health
Strategy

Infrastructure
Platforms and EHR Data Standards Interoperability Connectivity Workforce
Standards
• Universal patient ID • Guidance on • Open communication • Coverage of 3G to • Skills shortages
• Type of info e.g. Vx, promoting common between different 5G mobile • Capacity
tests, scans, history operating standards systems • Data affordability • Population attitude
• Hospital and • Implementation • Legacy and • Smartphone use towards digital
GP records futureproof health

Implementation
Application of Telehealth Information use Advanced Analytics Mobile Health
Data and Tools
• Remote healthcare • AI initiatives that • Systematic data • Use of mobile
from diagnosis to use health data at collection phones in
medicine delivery a national scale • Use of data by healthcare
• Consultation to • Private ventures researchers and • Actual adoption
Doorstep remote providing point policymakers to make of mHealth
services solutions informed decisions by population

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afcfta-agreement

4. Switching on The Lights; Benchmarking Digital Health Systems in EMEA

https://www.iqvia.com/library/white-papers/switching-on-the-lights

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7. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Dashboards/Pages/Digital-Development.aspx

8. https://dhis2.org/disease-surveillance/

9. https://wiki.openmrs.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=5047262

10. https://digitalpublicgoods.net/registry/bahmni.html

11. https://www.odess.io/en/initiative/rapidsms-rwanda/

12. https://lib.digitalsquare.io/server/api/core/bitstreams/c7ccda66-470d-4208-88ac-9a4592df1151/content

13. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=RW

14. https://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi/Home/Reports

15. https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/wb_political_stability/Africa/

16. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Dashboards/Pages/Digital-Development.aspx

17. https://dig.watch/updates/mtn-and-airtel-introduce-4g-services-in-rwanda

18. https://wiki.ohie.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=10486056

19. https://www.nida.gov.rw/

20. https://chwcentral.org/rwandas-community-health-worker-program/

21. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789290613176

22. https://www.ictworks.org/ugandan-mhealth-moratorium-good-thing/

23. https://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12961-023-00987-7

24. https://www.healthdata.org/

12 | Digital Health Systems in Africa: A convergence of opportunities

About the authors

AURELIO ARIAS JULIA WASZAK

Director, Intern Analyst,
EMEA Thought Leadership, EMEA Thought Leadership,
IQVIA IQVIA

Aurelio creates topical and forward- Julia is a recent alumna of Oxford

looking strategic content relevant to pharma executives University’s founding cohort for the Applied Digital
and publishes articles, blogs and white papers on a Health Master’s program, passionate about the
regular basis. He is involved in numerous projects intersection of technology and healthcare. Her academic
related to increasing access to medicine as well as the journey began with an Honours Bachelor of Science
interface between healthcare and digital technology. in Biomedical Sciences in Scotland and Singapore.
He is considered a subject matter expert in these Her scholarly pursuits culminated in a Master’s thesis
areas and speaks at numerous conferences worldwide, titled “Examining the post-2020-Landscape: Ethical
presents at board-level meetings and engages with and Policy Consideration of Artificial Intelligence in
consulting projects. Digital Healthcare Technologies”. Julia’s recent projects
include but are not limited to a publication on Trends in
Prior to IQVIA, Aurelio has worked in R&D and in various
Biopharma M&A and a project on Digital Health systems
strategy consulting roles. He holds an MSci in Chemistry
maturity in Africa. Her interests are in Digital Health,
from Imperial College London.
Med Tech and AI application in healthcare.

AARON WRIGHT
Analyst,
EMEA Thought Leadership,
IQVIA

Based in London, Aaron joined

the EMEA Thought Leadership team in 2021. His areas
of focus include the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations
globally, as well as RNA therapies as part of the wider
field of emerging advanced therapies, digital health
systems, and the autoimmune product landscape.

He has an MEng Biomedical Engineering degree from

Imperial College London.

Acknowledgements
We are indebted to all respondents who took the time to provide informed opinions that fuelled this report. These are:
Winifred Addo-Cobbiah, Taofeekat Adigun, Sue Bailey, Alexandre de Carvalho, Emeka Chukwu, Loice Cushny, Yassine
Diouri, Dercio Duvane, Allama Elmehdi, Lucky Gondwe, Malick Kayumba, Edwin Mulwa, Sarah Rickwood, Steven
Simkonda, Elna Steyn, Sandri Yssel and many others who contributed and are gratefully acknowledged.

iqvia.com | 13
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