Datacentrix is a South Africa-based hybrid IT systems integrator and managed services provider that enables digitalisation success . The company offers deep technical expertise across a mature offering and provides proven execution capability that is endorsed by the world ’ s foremost technology partners . With a strong African footprint , the company is recognised for its agility , in-depth industry knowledge , ethical practices , and strong overall performance . Last month , the company held a Healthcare Indaba 2022 to discuss key trends affecting the healthcare sector and how technology can play a role in accelerating the transformation needed in this industry .
AFRICA
REGIONAL CHANNELS
AFRICA
Ahmed Mahomed , CEO , Datacentrix
Hybrid IT systems integrator and managed services provider Datacentrix recently held its inaugural Healthcare Indaba at Zebula Golf Estate in Limpopo Province , South Africa , hosting an event that brought together South Africa ’ s technology leaders with healthcare industry players to discuss critical trends and insights within the sector .
In his address , Ahmed Mahomed , CEO , Datacentrix , stated that , while the local healthcare industry has seen significant progress in Digital Transformation , it has not been fast enough , and the COVID-19 pandemic has only underscored the fact that the process needs greater acceleration .
“ The slower rate of technology adoption in healthcare can be attributed to several factors ,” Mahomed said . “ The lack of standardisation across technologies , poor systems integration , highly customised systems and processes , physical on-site limitations , as well as hospital admission and administrative processes that are still largely manual are some that were mentioned .
“ Specialists tend to operate within a vacuum , without a common data set across the data systems and no single view of a patient ’ s data , meaning that the historical context of the patient is often lost , and specialists don ’ t necessarily have access to all the data that is available for a patient . There is a need to have a single view of all information related to a patient to all service providers .”
Bridging the technology / business disconnect in healthcare
According to Mahomed , another serious challenge is the significant gap between technology and business , and digitisation can help to align technology investment with the delivery of business objectives .
“ The key lies in being able to access and understand data in real-time ; it is here that Digital Transformation delivers its best value ,” he said .
His advice was for healthcare organisations to start the Digital Transformation journey with network infrastructure , to leverage the intelligence that can be gained in terms of the customer experience . “ Collecting , mining , and applying this intelligence opens opportunities to customise and improve the user experience , increase revenue , decrease costs , and drive efficiencies .
“ We must be mindful that healthcare is a complex ecosystem . However , it is possible to use the opportunities this provides us to pave the way to improved access to healthcare , to leverage the data patterns in order to support preventative healthcare , and to enhance the user experience .”
Keynote speaker Abdullah Verachia said that because people have become accustomed to a frictionless and seamless digital experience in everyday life , they expect the same from their healthcare providers . “ People are not worried about the complexity that happens in the background , and so it is our role to demystify this complexity and deliver their expectations ,” he explained .
“ Everyone has been affected by the ‘ great transformation ’ during this period of technology acceleration , with priorities shifting and business models and ecosystems being reinvented .
“ So , what does the future of healthcare look like ?” he asked . “ Healthcare technology allows us to think about how we can fundamentally improve the system to bring down costs and add efficiencies .”
Referring to ‘ The Future of Healthcare : Insights and Implications from Multiple Global Discussions ’ by Tim Jones , Caroline Dewing and Jonathan Besser , Verachia spoke about macro trends affecting the future of healthcare between 2020 and 2030 , including the power of data , increasing patient centricity , and empowering more flexibility in organisations . •
DATACENTRIX HEALTHCARE INDABA 2022 FOCUSES ON URGENT REQUIREMENT FOR ACCELERATED DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN HEALTHCARE
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS 33