The healthcare system in most African countries is really nothing to write home about. Togo as a country has not been left out amongst the countries in Africa with a lot challenges plaguing their health system. The unfortunate thing is that most of the health facilities in Togo are remotely located and this has affected their the way people access healthcare over the years.
For the reason of having to travel to remote areas to access healthcare, most patients travel to various healthcare and keep changing the facilities to access healthcare on the basis of proximity to them wherever they find themselves. As such, they obtain new health records for almost each new consultation.
This is a big challenge since, for appropriate management, healthcare practitioners sometimes need the medical history of the person. Without access to these histories, most therapy will be instituted blindly and that can affect the effectiveness of the treatment instituted.
Mr. Kofivi Agbetiafa thought of this problem and decided to find a solution to it. In 2015, he developed an application called “Dokita Eyes” which literally translates to the doctor’s eye. Dokita Eyes Mobile App allows health professionals to keep an eye on their patients where ever they are through the use of the health data recorder.
End-users of the application or patients having the mobile app are required to input their personal details and from this, an identity card with a QR code on it can be generated for the patient. The respective healthcare professionals attending such patients will then enter the health records into the app using the patient’s identity.
This therefore serves like an electronic patient folder or health book which contains every health information of an individual and can be used all over the country.
“The application itself is like a health book. It is simply a health book that we have digitized. A physical health book that everyone knows today. The book has been digitized and we have done it in such a way that there are many related services linked to this same solution. For example, with this application, you can order medicines, which is not possible with physical booklets,” Koffivi Agbetiafa, the promoter Dokita Eyes told Africanews.
One question that you are likely to ask when you hear about such innovation is “what if the individual or patient doesn’t own a smartphone?”. The team behind Dokita eyes thought about it and provided an appropriate solution to it. The solution is that; you don’t require to own a smartphone before you can register. Anyone including your relatives or even your healthcare professionals can help create an account for you. All that you need is to have your details capture and also your QR code for easy access.
- As you can see in this picture, the healthcare professional is scanning the QR code of the patient in order to access her health records.
This is a real innovative solution to the health problems of most people hailing from the rural areas without access to healthcare or who have to roam about in search of healthcare anytime they are sick.
This means that the health professionals can now have access to the previous consultations even if they weren’t the ones who attended to the patient initially. They can also get to see the various medicines the patient has been on, the laboratory results, etc.
This service has revolutionized the healthcare system in Togo and currently has more than 80,000 people over the entire country have signed up unto the service.
“Today we have been able to create nearly eighty thousand health booklets, both for pregnant women and children under five years of age. So this solution in remote areas allows the community health worker to regularly visit the pregnant woman, to take the vital parameters regularly and to document their health booklet from the community and send these data to the head nurse of the post in the peripheral care unit or to the midwife in the unit,” Koffivi Agbetiafa, the promoter Dokita Eyes said.
In use for now 6 years, the application is in its 3rd version. Updates are regularly made to improve its functionality. The aim today, for this innovative team, is to serve several users while focusing on the protection of patient data.
What can I do with Dokita Eyes App
There are a number of things you can do with this innovative health app. Some of the basic services you get or can access through the app include:
- Booking appointments with healthcare providers or professionals either to meet them at a hospital or to meet you at home
- Get your prescriptions
- Access your medical laboratory or radiology test results
- Record your own symptoms
- Talk to a healthcare professional
- Get your medications or test results delivered to you at the comfort of your home
- Make all necessary payments right on your app
- Get 24/7 support from the Dokita Eyes team
How to download the Dokita Eyes app
The Dokita eyes app is currently available on the google play store, so you can search for it or use the link below to access it.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eba.de&hl=en&gl=US
Also, to read more about this innovative app, you can visit the website of the company behind it and get all the information you want. Use the link below to access their website:
WRITTEN AND EDITED RESPECTIVELY BY:
Dr. Ehoneah Obed is a registered pharmacist and a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana. He has a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and has experience working in a Tertiary hospital as well as various community pharmacies. He is also a software engineer interested in healthcare technologies.
His love for helping others motivates him to create content on an array of topics mostly relating to the health of people and also software engineering content.
He is knowledgeable in digital marketing, content marketing, and a host of other skills that make him versatile enough to uplift any team he joins.
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