NIGERIA ENCOURAGING USE OF 'TELEMEDICINE'

Nigeria's Minister of Health has encouraged the use of IT as a way of dispensing quick and reliable healthcare services. It is hoped that the new technology will help the country achieve its millennium goal of improving healthcare for the entire population.

Nigeria suffers from a shortfall in the number of trained doctors, nurses and midwives. As a result, the country's health sector does not have the capacity to provide healthcare services to all those in need of treatment and advice. However, both the internet and telecommunications can be used to provide diagnosis and patient care for large sections of the population without access to traditional healthcare.

Recent research has shown this to be an effective way of bridging the gap between a small number of medical personnel and large patient numbers. It is also an excellent way of improving productivity and dispensing medical knowledge, and could increasingly become an option in Africa's health sector.