Construction of the National Digital Health Center in Togo, West Africa, is reported to be underway, with the build estimated to take around 20 months in total.
The Center will focus on three major areas, including using technology to reduce maternal and child mortality in Togo by making digital and diagnostic tools such as obstetric ultrasound available to vulnerable populations, and promoting the use of remote analysis by specialists in the field.
The two remaining areas of focus are “non-communicable diseases and tropical diseases neglected by improving the management of skin diseases in disadvantaged environments while respecting equity and gender”; and the management of epidemics and pandemics using telemedicine to “decongest health structures in times of health crisis”.
Binta Sanneh, resident representative of the UNDP in Togo, said that the project reflects the “shared ambition” of the UNDP and the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene in Togo, to “sustainably address the problem of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through the use of digital technology”.
According to the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene in Togo, the Center will help ensure “effective operational governance of digitization activities in the health sector”, including in telemedicine, teleconsultations, and “continuing and distance learning”.
In related news, the UN recently launched a new Digital Health Programme to strengthen digital health in Kyrgyzstan, aiming to improve access to healthcare by creating “a fully interoperable digital health ecosystem”, expanding telehealth services, and streamlining e-health initiatives. Funded by the UN Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund, and with a total budget of just over $4 million, the programme is set to run to 2027.
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