Vodacom is getting into the healthcare game, launching the country’s first computer-aided emergency services dispatch system. Vodacom has worked with the Northern Cape Department of Health to get the launch off the ground, making healthcare more accessible to everyone (in the Northern Cape).
That’s not to say that it won’t benefit the entire country. Vodacom hasn’t said as much but we expect that the Department and Vodacom are treating the launch as a sort of trial run. Should it be successful, we could see Vodacom pair up with other provinces. The two entities have been working on a solution to make healthcare more accessible since 2019.
The eventual goal is to make ambulances faster and more accessible but to also improve patient engagement. The project brings the added bonus of speeding up the delivery of medical items to where they’re needed most.
Above average intelligence
SmartPatient is their solution. Yes, a smartphone app. The idea is, should a patient require municipal, provincial, or even community treatment, they’re able to log a medical assistance request on the app. And then we have SmartDispatch. A smart, “computer-aided” dispatch system that gives potential patients a way of requesting emergency services through SmartPatient, SMS, USSD, e-mail, or an old-fashioned phone call.
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“Vodacom is proud to be part of this ground-breaking public-private partnership underpinned by innovation. It’s another example of how we are forging ahead with our purpose to connect for a better future. Furthermore, we believe in technology that’s accessible to the underserved and inclusive to the marginalised, and our patient engagement solution is just that,” says Evah Mthimunye, Managing Exec for Vodacom Central Region.
Vodacom has yet to make the app available, with no word on its eventual arrival. It will be released soon, but we can’t provide an exact date at this time.