Cloud-based platform improves healthcare systems in Africa

Microsoft4Afrika, a Microsoft initiative that focuses on improving digital access in Africa has partnered with BroadReach, a social impact group of businesses, to develop an integrated cloud platform. 

 Microsoft4Afrika has partnered with BroadReach to drive data-driven solutions for healthcare systems

The platform aims to implement data-driven solutions to ensure improvement in the management and delivery of health programmes in underserved regions across the world.

Vantage

Titled Vantage, the integrated cloud platform is developed on Microsoft Azure and built by Vantage Technologies. The platform allows development, health, and human service organisations to quickly recognise risks and opportunities through powerful analytics.

Vantage assists BroadReach, which is one of the fastest-growing companies in SA that uses Microsoft cloud services, by supporting its digital HIV Portfolio on Management Solution. 

In an official press release, Dr John Sargent, Co-founder of BroadReach Group explains that the UNAIDS 90/90/90 objective to control HIV was reached with the help of AI technology. 

“We actually hit the Triple 90 targets in Ugu District [in 2019], which is a big accomplishment, this was the first district in the country to reach this monumental milestone. It is a true testament to what can happen when AI guides human intervention! Our latest products include a proactive predictive tool aimed at helping keep patients on treatment. We are now predicting which patients are at risk of stopping medicines and empowering their healthcare teams to reach out to them before they stop. We are doing other types of predictive analysis by understanding how particular clinics and staff members are performing, medical stock levels and predicting what may happen and intervening before that happens.”

The UNAIDS 90/90/90 goal is to ensure that 90% of people living with HIV know their status, 90% of them are taking antiretroviral treatment (ARV) and 90% of those on ARV treatment are taking their medication daily. 

Vantage, implemented in 2017 in Ugu district, utilises big data and analytics to assist healthcare workers in delivering real-time insights and proven step-by-step workflows. 

Since implementation, Vantage has reportedly allowed healthcare workers to ensure that HIV-suppression rates among those who are taking antiretroviral therapy increased from 57% to 92%. In addition, the rate of people testing the concentration of HIV in their blood through a viral load test reportedly increased from 32% to 90%.

BroadReach is the largest health independent software vendor (ISV) in Africa and the Middle East. BroadRoad’s digital HIV Portfolio on Management Solution has helped an estimated 340 000 people gain access to HIV treatment in KwaZulu-Natal.

A mutually beneficial partnership

Healthcare is shifting to digital through the innovative use of technology such as AI, and cloud computing. 

The digital transformation of healthcare will positively impact healthcare workers and patients as showcased in the partnership between BroadReach and Microsoft4Afrika for the development of Vantage.

Vantage has the ability to immediately analyse data, communicate findings, and distribute actions through automatically generated dashboards and targeted push notifications.

 The cloud-based platform assists BroadReach by reducing the data analysation time of 1 000 sites in SA, from eight months to near real-time. Using Vantage, BroadReach presented significant health results in supported districts.

Vantage provides individuals in the health system access to accurate information at the right time. In addition, it offers the correct recommendations and resources to take the necessary actions, which could result in an increase in lives saved.

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Featured Image: National Cancer Institute via Unsplash