UGHE’s IT Helpdesk Assistant, Liliane Uwase had never associated health and technology before. She went to college knowing she wanted to code and develop systems, but only in a broad sense, with no specific focus or interest in healthcare. Working closely with eminent global health experts and future health professionals at UGHE has motivated her to do further research about the importance of technology in equitable healthcare delivery. 

Healthcare advancement is one of the most important factors in prolonging human life. Various technologies are being developed to increase life expectancy and improve human health in general. “Technology is extremely important in medicine and plays a significant role in the advancement of the health sector” Liliane says.  

Reflecting on the evolution of technology, she gives an example of how technology has progressed from the invention of sunglasses and a stethoscope in 1816 to today’s advanced technologies such as wearable devices to monitor human vitals and self-consultation applications. Liliane underscores the importance of technology in equitable healthcare delivery and recommends that it should be given priority. “Technology in healthcare delivery should never be overlooked, by either health professionals or technology personnel,” Liliane recommends.  

Technology and healthcare delivery go hand in hand, as evidenced by the Covid-19 outbreak in 2019, in which doctors and Engineers collaborated closely to develop mass testing technologies. There are promising trends in technology used to promote healthcare delivery such as Artificial Intelligence which focuses on the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and perform a task on their own. However, there is still a long way to achieve equity in healthcare delivery using technology. She advises health professionals to constantly improve their technological skills. 

According to a profile of the healthcare industry by the World Economic Forum, more than a billion people will need reskilling in medical technology by 2030 to catch up with the fast-developing technology. Liliane suggests that technology technicians need to start focusing on how they can improve healthcare systems. “Through technology, joining forces in this manner will open a door to a promising future in medical technology and equal access to healthcare by providing accessible apps and technologies” Liliane says. 

UGHE has taken a huge step into the future by understanding the need for the implementation of technology in health, the IT branch has been equipped to put energy and resources into providing different systems such as complete anatomy and other 3D-oriented approaches used by medical students and the future global health leaders, the students of Master of Science in Global Health Delivery (MGHD). These systems facilitate and prepare the students for tomorrow’s medical technology, starting with young medical students might be the ideal way to train our doctors and health professionals for the fast-developing tech world.