The advent of telehealth in Africa has meant treatment opportunities for many who were previously incapable of traveling the great distances sometimes necessary to visit doctors or hospitals or even to collect their medication.
Although it’s not a new concept in many African countries, technological advancements alongside the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have seen telemedicine play growing roles in many of the continent’s various health care systems. However, it remains an impractical alternative in large parts of many poorer African nations.
Telemedicine Is Essential to Africa’s Future Health Care
Even though telemedicine improves services in some African countries, providing medical care remains challenging. Only four countries exceeded the ratio of 4.45 health workers per 1,000 people — the World Health Organization population care standard. The average ratio for all 47 countries surveyed was 1.55 caregivers per 1,000, with regions like Niger the lowest at 0.25 per 1,000. Telehealth could be the key to spreading wellness throughout Africa.
These dire doctor-patient statistics appear even worse when you consider many rural Africans live beyond the reach of treatment. Effective telehealth in these regions would improve access and alleviate medical service costs. It could also assist in the teaching and training of new physicians and specialists — access to remote education would improve matters, providing more doctors for African patients.
When coupled with the number of doctors available to treat patients, this digital access also reduces costs compared to physical medical treatment, which is simply unaffordable in many outlying areas. Regions with telehealth access are indeed reaping the benefits.
The Somalia Example
In Somalia, there were only 0.2 doctors per 10,000 people in 2024. Hence, commuting great distances from rural areas to obtain essential health care from urban hospitals or doctor’s rooms is impossible for many.
Telemedicine services are now alleviating the dire Somalian public health care system as they have in poorer African countries, including Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mali and more. Baano Medicare in Somalia delivers medical and nutritional supplies and equipment to outlying areas, while SomDoctor offers Somali residents online consultations and mobile pharmacy services.
Meanwhile, Nigeria-based Mobihealth paved the way for Africa’s first fully integrated telemedicine platform. This company has 20 health care clinics that provide citizens with video consultations, prescriptions and specialist referral access for as little as $1 per month.
Somalia’s public health care system and many others in Africa now rely on the affordable alternatives provided by private telehealth platforms. These services reduce strain on public systems, but limited internet access in the rural areas that need telemedicine most and the inflated cost of connectivity still provide pitfalls.
Accessible Medicine Can Impact Health Care
Imagine an Africa where every person could access the internet and telemedicine platforms. The continent’s doctors would have more time to research, train others and treat patients remotely, meaning Africans could enjoy the essential health services they need and deserve.
There would also be more remote treatment opportunities for those with mental health and drug and alcohol use disorders. Many people don’t seek help because of society’s judgment, but providing a platform where it’s just them and the person treating them could increase successful recovery efforts.
Why Is Telehealth in Africa Not More Prominent?
Mali first incorporated such a platform in 2000 to provide technology for long-distance medical learning and remote consultations. Since 2003, Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria have incorporated telemedicine for video consultations, primarily for cancer care. These countries have also devised telepathology, tele-oncology and teleradiology methods to assist outlying rural patients.
Considering these early endeavors, why is telemedicine not more prominent across Africa’s health care systems? Again, the answer centers on cost and access.
To operate capable telehealth platforms, you must provide access to the internet at rates patients can afford. Although connectivity has drastically improved since the efforts of the early 2000s, Africans with internet coverage still pay five times as much as the global average for the service.
The continent’s immense expanse and low population densities mean building cellular towers and laying fiber optic cables is too costly. Even in one of its wealthiest countries — South Africa — only 54% of the population enjoys fiber coverage. In 2022, only 25% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s total population had internet access, with a mere 42% of adults being online. The considerable lack of connectivity and the expense of receiving it means many who need health care services can’t receive them.
Telemedicine access provides a massive step toward alleviating many of Africa’s public health system deficiencies. However, without a considerable increase in the regions with internet connections — meaning a substantial decrease in infrastructure costs — its impact will remain stunted.
Telemedicine Plays an Important Role in African Health Care
Telemedicine has helped and continues to help many African patients without any physical health care solutions receive essential and often lifesaving treatment and medication. However, until the cost and availability of internet connections change, access will remain the primary stumbling block in preventing the enhanced assistance levels telemedicine in Africa should ultimately provide.