“Virtual doctors” offering medical support to rural Zambia patients
The Brighton-based Virtual Doctors charity was set up by Huw Jones, a safari guide in Zambia, after coming across a man and her pregnant wife who had to cycle for hours just to reach the nearest hospital 60 miles away. Even after offering them a ride in his Land Rover, the woman still died before they could reach anyone who could give them medical assistance.
This event affected Jones deeply. It is also an example of the lack of medical provision for rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Zambia has about 1,600 doctors for a population of 14 million, and two-thirds of these are working in towns and cities, while most of the country’s population is in the countryside. This means that good quality health care is often difficult, if not impossible, to access.
When Jones went back to the UK, he set up a charity that uses the expertise of volunteer doctors in the UK to provide direct and individual support for health workers in Zambia.
Families in rural communities depend on health centers, which have health workers but no qualified doctors. The Virtual Doctors project fills this gap by offering support to isolated health centers.
Health workers and clinical officers on the ground use an app on a smartphone or tablet computer to take notes on a patient’s symptoms and photographs.This information is sent to a volunteer doctor in the UK who helps with a diagnosis and recommends treatment.Cases are directed towards doctors with a relevant specialism, whether it is skin diseases or HIV and AIDS-related problems.The doctor in the UK will have a list of the drugs and equipment kept in the health center in Zambia and can suggest treatment or further tests based on what is practical and available.
Virtual Doctors is now supporting 19 rural health centers, which typically deal with problems such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and pregnancy-related conditions. There are also two district hospitals taking part in the project.
Former Education Secretary Charles Clarke, who is supporting the project, describes it as a “brilliant initiative that brings together voluntary expertise and desperate need”.
The Virtual Doctor system has been backed by the Zambian government.Muyeba Chikonde, Zambia’s high commissioner in the UK, said he was very pleased at the assistance being provided.He said it was in the spirit of “ubuntu” – a word used in southern Africa to suggest a philosophy of sharing and showing “humanity towards others”.
The charity wants to expand further, with discussions in progress about working with other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania and Uganda.
