Elderly, PWDs get App to easily access health care from home
Ms Sarah Achiro (left), the project coordinator at KOFIH explains to some PWDs how the app works in Masaka City on November 10, 2023 PHOTO | RICHARD KYANJO
What you need to know:
- The app links both the elderly and PWDs to health facilities and specialists to attend to their health needs
Medics supported by the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) have developed a mobile application (app) to enable the elderly and Persons living with disabilities (PWDs) in Greater Masaka to easily access health services.
The app, accessible using a smartphone on the Google Play Store, links both the elderly and PWDs to health facilities and specialists to attend to their health needs.
According to Ms Sarah Achiro, the project coordinator at KOFIH, the targeted groups will be able to explain to medics their state of health using the app and the latter make the diagnosis and possibly move to treat the patients from the comfort of their living rooms.
Access to healthcare services has always been a daunting challenge for the elderly and PWDs since many have mobility issues, and transportation constraints which have left them isolated from the healthcare system they desperately need.
“We came up with this idea [of a mobile application system] after seeing how innovation is making a positive impact on the lives of marginalized communities and we are optimistic that when the elderly and PWDs access health services it will make their lives better and live longer,” Ms Achiro said during the closure of a training for PWDs and elderly on how to use the app in Masaka City on Friday.
Ms Achiro said after training leaders of the elderly and PWDs, the latter will pass on the information to their peers in villages.
“We want to see a Uganda where healthcare services are not limited by physical boundaries but are accessible at the touch of a button. Those who don’t own smartphones will be helped by their caretakers or neighbours,” she added
The medics who developed the App are part of the group which trained in South Korea under the Dr Lee Jong-Wook Fellowship Programme.
Ms Beatrice Oling , a member of the KOFIH coordination team and a senior administrator in charge of specialized and neonatal at Mulago National Referral Hospital, said they are committed to continue improving the app to benefit the elderly and PWDs outside the Masaka area.
“Plans are underway to introduce features like telemedicine consultations, medication management, and personalised health trackers. With ongoing support from healthcare providers and community organizations, this innovation is set to grow and evolve, enriching the lives of countless individuals,” she said
Ms Sylvia Nalujja, the health inspector in charge of Kimaanya-Kabonera Municipality commended KOFIH for financing the creation of the app, but requested them to also procure smartphones for Village Health Teams VHTs) to help the elderly and PWDs who don’t own them.
“VHTs are doing a great job and I am sure if get smartphones it will simplify their work and will also be able to even help the PWDs and elderly who don’t have smartphones,” she said
A recent survey carried out by the Association of Persons with Disabilities Living with HIV/Aids Uganda( ADIPHA-Uganda) at selected health centres in the districts of Rakai, Bukomansimbi, Masaka, Lwengo and Kalungu revealed that many health facilities don’t meet the accessibility standards of the PWDs. The survey conducted between May 2022 and June 2023 revealed that many health centres lack ramps for easy access to the facilities one of the reasons why several patients with disabilities keep away and fail to access health services.
According to the 2014 National Population Census, Masaka District alone has 92,723 PWDs out of the total population of 297,004 people while the elderly are 8,898.
