Mobile healthcare in Peru
Marketing
By Estel Blay and Marcel Quintana, Satellite Applications Catapult
Estel Blay and Marcel Quintana look back on a recent fact-finding visit by the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MINSA) as part of a healthcare project being delivered by the Satellite Applications Catapult and Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University.
Improving mobile healthcare in rural areas of Peru
The recent visit to the UK of two representatives from the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MINSA) provided a great opportunity for them to learn about industry trends in digital health and gain insights from British experts in this field.
This was the latest in a series of activities being delivered through the mHealthConnect Project ‘Improving Connection of Peru Mobile Healthcare Facilities in Rural Areas’ being implemented jointly by the Satellite Applications Catapult and Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University.
The project – focused on improving healthcare provision in remote Amazonian areas in northern Peru – has financial support from the British Embassy in Lima and the Peru Prosperity Fund programme. It aims to share knowledge, education and good practises in the field, as well as the transfer of technology, products and services with our partners in Peru in the long term, enabling them to build a more sustainable, resilient and well-connected healthcare ecosystem.
The Catapult and Cayetano Heredia will analyse and research the technological gaps that can better support patients and practitioners in the local Peruvian communities, and is focused predominately on maternal, newborn and child health, as well as tropical disease.
Pushing the digital modernisation agenda
During the recent visit, representatives from MINSA and the Catapult attended EHI Live, the UK’s leading digital health exhibition, where they had the opportunity to meet and discuss with professionals and suppliers working in the eHealth and mHealth domains.
The delegation was able to contrast health systems in Peru and the UK, see new products, and understand how IT solutions available within the UK industry could be used to improve Peru’s domestic infrastructure and services. It also provided new ideas for Peru’s digital modernisation agenda.
Information sharing with Peruvian stakeholders
Following the recent visit to the UK, the MINSA representatives shared feedback at the second project workshop on 23 November in Lima. This brought together several decision-making organisations within Peru’s health and social care sector in order to disseminate the project objectives and achievements so far. Attendees also heard about past and ongoing initiatives and experiences from Peruvian organisations in eHealth and mHealth. The workshop concluded with a round table session to discuss the sector’s needs from a government’s perspective as input into the project’s long-term objectives.
