in conversation
“3G is
Creating Wonders in
Healthcare Domain� O
Thierry Zylberberg, Executive Vice President, Orange Healthcare Division, speaks to Shally Makin about the drivers for mHealthcare in developing markets. He believes that mobile technology is responsible for bringing health services to larger sections of the population www.orange.com
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january / 2012 www.ehealthonline.org
range is seeking to innovate in order to deliver solutions and services like eHealth to its customers. The company seeks to develop a system through which all kinds of information can be stored, safeguarded and disseminated with seamless efficiency. 3G is creating wonders in healthcare domain, and there is cloud computing that helps share medical information with anyone who has access to internet. The bring-your-own-phone model could really work in modern hospitals, as it will lead to better communication between patients and doctors. Healthcare is one of the areas that can benefit hugely from mobile technologies, much like transport. It is an industry with highly mobile workforce and clientele. mHealth majorly deals with gaining trust and delivering efficiency to the consumer. It can be achieved by managing health databases. More than 50 percent of mHealth revenues are spent on health management services like tele-assessment and remote monitoring. In case of developing countries, we need business models that can help reduce the economic and health divide. Health costs are rising around the world at around five percent per year. In Europe, healthcare amounts to 10 percent to 11 percent of the GDP, and in USA it is 16 percent. In Africa, 50 percent of the population owns mobile devices and telecom operators have opened avenues to expand the scope of mobile usage. A lot has to be done in case of chronic diseases, as the ageing population is now looking for a solution to curb rise in expenses. In the task of bringing healthcare services to the masses, mobile technol-