Connected World Forum Speaker Says mHealth Technology Improves Monitoring and Costs in Healthcare Industry
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, October 24, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Monitoring via technology is one of the best methods to cut costs in the healthcare industry says Karim Taga, a managing partner in Arthur D. Little, a global management consultancy specialising in strategy, innovation and technology. Karim Taga is a headline speaker at the upcoming Mobile Health Global as part of the Connected World Forum in Dubai where, from 20-21 November, more than 1000 industry experts and speakers as well as 70 global technology providers will gather.
Karim Taga is part of two sessions in the Mobile Health Global track of the conference, namely:
- Sizing up the global mHealth opportunity: A view on how the sector will grow
- Developing sustainable, forward-looking business models which will leverage mHealth’s growth potential.
He says “Technology is imperative in order to empower hospitals to deliver first-class service, broadband access and on-site ICT professionals. They monitor the devices that are at home and lead the consumer to medical devices in the hospital, carrying out the right diagnosis. So for me, monitoring is one of the biggest methods of reducing cost in industry.”
He continues: "At the same time, the patients at home also need a link between the medical devices that are compliant with medical standards, and have communication links, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G connectivity, or, soon, LC. Then they can manage the applications that are supported by the hospitals, and ultimately used by the medical staff."
Exciting new horizon for healthcare industry
According to Arthur D’ Little’s Managing Partner, for the thousands of people who are developing new applications for platforms such as 100 or RS the question then becomes, how to integrate the innovation of these products and services and bring them into the ecosystem. And how then to educate and create awareness in the medical staff and patients in using them. “That’s the whole change” states Mr. Taga “and it is an exciting new horizon for the healthcare industry as a whole.”
Pilot schemes often drive innovation
When asked to compare the progress of mHealth in emerging and developed marketplaces, Mr Taga stated that “in the industrialised and developed world pilot schemes can often drive innovation. The legal and regulatory environments in advanced markets are extremely critical and difficult. And also the liabilities around providing healthcare services are preventing a lot of players from going further into service provision.”
With regards to more emerging markets he explains: “We have seen that in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, quite fundamental new service platforms are being successfully developed and introduced. Some of the stakeholders, such as telecom operators, are providing basic services with new service providers who manage to provide an enabling platform connecting the patients with the doctors and receiving health services remotely.”
Creating a win-win-win
According to Karim Taga the development of mobile health technologies has caused a fundamental transformation in the healthcare industry as it has had to become more efficient. He believes that the major barrier to mHealth innovation right now is around the transparency of the players in the market. “There are a lot of inefficiencies which are giving benefits to some of the stakeholders and therefore there is a lot of resistance to change. We are trying to work out the benefits for all the stakeholders; creating a win-win-win environment for those who are still reluctant to change. And mHealth is definitely one of the biggest opportunities.”
Connected World Forum Awards
Earlier, the finalists in the Connected World Forum Awards were announced with du Emirates, Etihad Etisalat, Citibank, Barclays and Safaricom being amongst the finalists. There are overall awards for best mobile VAS services (value add services) - covering health, money, education, agriculture, entertainment – as well as individual awards for mobile money and mobile health services. For the first time since the inception of the awards, voting is taking place online for these coveted awards for the industry’s most successful companies and projects.
The winners will be announced during the gala reception at Connected World Forum on 20 November.
The Connected World Forum consists of three separate streams: Mobile Money, Mobile Health and Mobile Life.
Event dates:
19 November: Pre-conference workshop, Mobile Money and Mobile Health Academy
20-21 November: Mobile Money, Mobile Health and Mobile Life Conference days
22 November: Post-conference workshop: Mobile Money and Mobile Health Academy
Location: Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, UAE
Karim Taga is part of two sessions in the Mobile Health Global track of the conference, namely:
- Sizing up the global mHealth opportunity: A view on how the sector will grow
- Developing sustainable, forward-looking business models which will leverage mHealth’s growth potential.
He says “Technology is imperative in order to empower hospitals to deliver first-class service, broadband access and on-site ICT professionals. They monitor the devices that are at home and lead the consumer to medical devices in the hospital, carrying out the right diagnosis. So for me, monitoring is one of the biggest methods of reducing cost in industry.”
He continues: "At the same time, the patients at home also need a link between the medical devices that are compliant with medical standards, and have communication links, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G connectivity, or, soon, LC. Then they can manage the applications that are supported by the hospitals, and ultimately used by the medical staff."
Exciting new horizon for healthcare industry
According to Arthur D’ Little’s Managing Partner, for the thousands of people who are developing new applications for platforms such as 100 or RS the question then becomes, how to integrate the innovation of these products and services and bring them into the ecosystem. And how then to educate and create awareness in the medical staff and patients in using them. “That’s the whole change” states Mr. Taga “and it is an exciting new horizon for the healthcare industry as a whole.”
Pilot schemes often drive innovation
When asked to compare the progress of mHealth in emerging and developed marketplaces, Mr Taga stated that “in the industrialised and developed world pilot schemes can often drive innovation. The legal and regulatory environments in advanced markets are extremely critical and difficult. And also the liabilities around providing healthcare services are preventing a lot of players from going further into service provision.”
With regards to more emerging markets he explains: “We have seen that in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, quite fundamental new service platforms are being successfully developed and introduced. Some of the stakeholders, such as telecom operators, are providing basic services with new service providers who manage to provide an enabling platform connecting the patients with the doctors and receiving health services remotely.”
Creating a win-win-win
According to Karim Taga the development of mobile health technologies has caused a fundamental transformation in the healthcare industry as it has had to become more efficient. He believes that the major barrier to mHealth innovation right now is around the transparency of the players in the market. “There are a lot of inefficiencies which are giving benefits to some of the stakeholders and therefore there is a lot of resistance to change. We are trying to work out the benefits for all the stakeholders; creating a win-win-win environment for those who are still reluctant to change. And mHealth is definitely one of the biggest opportunities.”
Connected World Forum Awards
Earlier, the finalists in the Connected World Forum Awards were announced with du Emirates, Etihad Etisalat, Citibank, Barclays and Safaricom being amongst the finalists. There are overall awards for best mobile VAS services (value add services) - covering health, money, education, agriculture, entertainment – as well as individual awards for mobile money and mobile health services. For the first time since the inception of the awards, voting is taking place online for these coveted awards for the industry’s most successful companies and projects.
The winners will be announced during the gala reception at Connected World Forum on 20 November.
The Connected World Forum consists of three separate streams: Mobile Money, Mobile Health and Mobile Life.
Event dates:
19 November: Pre-conference workshop, Mobile Money and Mobile Health Academy
20-21 November: Mobile Money, Mobile Health and Mobile Life Conference days
22 November: Post-conference workshop: Mobile Money and Mobile Health Academy
Location: Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, UAE
Contact
Connected World Forum
Annemarie Roodbol
+27 21 700 3558
www.connectedworldforum.com
Annemarie Roodbol
+27 21 700 3558
www.connectedworldforum.com
Contact
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