mHealth for Development: The

United Nations/Vodafone
Foundation Report
Dr Adesina Iluyemi
PhD Candidate
CHMI, Univ of Portsmouth, UK
Member, eMobility ETP
Adesina.iluyemi@port.ac.uk
07.05.2009
WWRF #22
 Introduction

• UN/Vodafone Rationale
“mHealth has potential to transform (…..) healthcare challenges in the
developing world (……) for patient care management, providing
medical care and training for supporting rural health workers”

Vittorio Colao, CEO Ted Turner, Chairman

Vodafone United Nations Foundation

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 Background

“mHealth involves using wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, GSM/

GPRS/3G, WiFi, WiMAX,and so on to transmit and enable various eHealth
data contents and services. Usually these are accessed by the health worker
through devices such as mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, laptops and
tablet PCs”

(Adesina Iluyemi, UNF 2009)

•But patient/citizen-centric applications are part of it

•GPS, GIS also!

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 Wireless/Mobile Infrastructure as King

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 Alternate Infrastructure Matters Also!

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 Voice & SMS, few Data Apps

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 Present Usage: Geographic Spread

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 Present Usage: Services

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 Global Spread

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 Shifting Demography & Epidemiology

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 Beyond Mobile Phones!

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 Future belongs to Data

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 Multiple Players: Diverse Benefits

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 Environment & Mobility Important!

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 Business Model: Unidirectional Data
Flow

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 Business Models: Bidirectional Data
Flow

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 Nuggets for Success

• Foster & Build Long-term Partnerships (Local & Global)

• Sensitivity to Local Needs (Markets) & Social issues
• Users-need dictate products and services roll-out
• Develop Strategic Financial/Business Models
• Set Measurable Goals
• Collaborate & Promote Open Innovation

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 Partnership is Important

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 Some Thoughts
“With eHealth and mHealth, an ecosystem approach is recommended.
Many of the basic applications and devices exist and are in use, but
now we need to make them talk to each other in a way that yields
strategic benefits.”—Dr. Patricia Mechael

“It’s important to have an ROI [return on investment] model that

articulates the cost savings of mHealth, and also to take into account
the economic burden of health. You are trying to prevent negative
health outcomes, and if you prevent them you can’t easily measure
that.” —Eduardo Jezierski,
Vice President of Engineering, InSTEDD

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 Final Thoughts

• mHealth in Developing Countries has

business and research opportunities

• Also mAgriculture, mEducation,

mCommerce etc!

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