Real-time Hepatitis Reporting and Surveillance System in Low-Resource Settings using ICT and Mobile Phones

UM Healthcare Trust

Real-time Hepatitis Reporting and Surveillance System in Low-Resource Settings using ICT and Mobile Phones

UM Healthcare Trust

Hepatitis is tremendous health problem not only in Pakistan but worldwide. It is prevalent in five different forms namely hepatitis A, B, C, D, E and is communicable. Pakistan is a developing nation of more than 180 million people, and many regions of the country have alarmingly high rates of uncontrolled outbreaks of hepatitis. Regardless of these alarmingly statistics, little efforts in form of awareness seminars mostly are being conducted in Urban Areas only. Around 75% of the Pakistani population resides in the rural areas where there is lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation conduction due to which Hepatitis (A & E) spread rapidly. Till date out of 200,000 patients treated at UM-Healthcare Trust in Mardan, 20% are carrier of hepatitis and are completely unaware of their critical situation. These statistics motivates us to develop a solution based on cell phones that will track and monitor its spread in rural communities. This model has been successfully implemented at UM Trust and shall be replicated for other diseases with our partners NRDP and CDRS, Pakistan. Additionally, this solution shall be provided to the health ministry for further research.

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