Adequate Investment Needed In Telemedicine
World-renowned Orthopaedic Surgeon and Founder of Foundation of Orthopedics and Complex Spine (FOCOS Orthopedic Hospital), Prof. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei has called for adequate investment into telemedicine to drive the delivery of quality healthcare service in the country. Prof. Boachie-Adjei was speaking on the second day of the third Virtual Accra Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Investment Fair in Accra on the theme: “Regaining Momentum in SDGs Implementation during and post COVID-19.”
He said telemedicine was convenient mostly at areas where there were no resident physicians and said some district hospitals needed those services to offer quality healthcare services to clients. Speaking on the topic; “Telehealth & Telemedicine, a private sector-led COVID-19 Recovery scenario” Prof. Boachie-Adjei underscored the importance of the Internet as a primary driver of telemedicine, which addresses patients’ appointment and diagnosis to be sent to the physician to work.
Prof. Boachie-Adjei described government’s promise to construct 88 District Hospitals as ambitious and needed to be done with the training of nurses and physicians to man the hospitals. The Orthopaedic Surgeon said invariably, telemedicine could play important roles in that regard before the physical structures were built.
The SDGs Investment Fair was launched by the Ministry of Finance in 2018 as an annual event to encourage private financing of the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2020 Virtual Accra SDGs Investment Fair is to provide a platform to explore new opportunities within the new normal, identify innovative ways to access financial resources during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery, share experiences relating to individual and corporate adaptability in the wake of COVID-19 and rebuilding momentum for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Accra SDGs Investment Fair brought together high-level government officials, community facilitators, investors, civil society organizations, entrepreneurs, knowledge institutions and other stakeholders to help develop a sustainable network for post-COVID-19 strategies to support government’s vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid.