Cimas Health Group CEO, Vuli Ndlovu (left) and Dr Celestino Dhege, Chief Director for Public Health in the Ministry of Health and Child Care
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
Innovation must go beyond technology and focus on finding practical solutions that improve access, affordability and the quality of healthcare, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora has said.
In a speech read on his behalf at the grand finale of the Cimas Healthathon 3.0 in Harare last Friday, the Minister, who was represented by Dr Celestino Dhege, Chief Director for Public Health, said innovation was critical in addressing some of the challenges facing Zimbabwe’s healthcare system.
The Healthathon 3.0 was held under the theme: “Reimagining Healthcare Through Disruptive Innovation.”
Minister Mombeshora said innovation should not only be viewed through the lens of software, artificial intelligence and other digital tools, but should be measured by the difference it makes in people’s lives.
“Digital tools are a powerful enabler, but the real innovation lies in the outcomes we deliver for our people,” said Dr Mombeshora.
He said the true test of any healthcare innovation was whether it improved the patient experience, reduced the cost of care, assisted health workers or reached communities that had been left behind.
“The measure of any innovation is simple: does it improve a patient’s experience, reduce the cost of care, help a health worker do their job better, or reach someone who has been left behind?”
And the Minister also challenged innovators to develop solutions that promote equity, particularly for rural communities, people with disabilities, the elderly and low-income households.
Cimas Health Group Chief Executive Officer, Vuli Ndlovu said Zimbabwe had no shortage of talent and creativity, but needed platforms that could bring innovative ideas to the surface.
His sentiments came as the Healthathon 3.0 attracted 372 submissions from across the country, which were eventually narrowed down to 10 finalists.
Ndlovu said the growing number of submissions demonstrated the willingness of Zimbabweans to tackle healthcare challenges instead of merely talking about them.
“They represent young people who looked at a problem and decided not to walk away or to walk past it,” he said.
He said innovation could emerge from anywhere, including universities, hospitals, rural clinics and communities.
“Innovation has got no address. A great idea can come from anywhere.”
However, he warned that having innovative ideas alone was not enough, saying they had to be transformed into practical solutions that benefit patients.
“Ideas are important, but ideas alone do not change lives. What changes lives is when an idea becomes a solution. When a solution becomes a product. When a product reaches a patient,” added Ndlovu.
Ndlovu further pointed to the previous Healthathon innovations which he said had gone on to create value by supporting members and improving claims management.
He said the real measure of the success of Healthathon 3.0 would therefore be what happens to the innovations after the competition.
“The true test of innovation is not what happens on the stage. The true test is what happens after the stage,” he said.
Dr Dhege said government and the private sector must also work together to create an environment where promising innovations can be tested, funded and scaled.
He said the proposed National Health Insurance would require contributions from healthcare providers, funders, technologists, academics and innovators to ensure it was inclusive and sustainable.
“The future of healthcare will not be shaped by technology alone. It will be shaped by people who understand that innovation must ultimately serve people,” he said.
And Ndlovu urged innovators to remain focused on the challenges faced by patients and healthcare workers.
“Do not fall in love with your solution. Fall in love with the problem,” stressed Ndlovu.
