The health trends of 2022 |28 December 2021
In the following interview with Dr Miodrag Todorovic, founder and owner of Panafricare Clinic, we learn about some of the major trends that we can expect to see in health in the coming year. He also shares with us his opinions about how prepared we are in Seychelles to manage and embrace these trends.
Seychelles NATION: What is your opinion about the developments in healthcare during the year 2021?
Dr Todorovic: It has been an extraordinary medical year filled up with the world's vaccination programme and a rush in research of pharmaceutical companies to launch medications for Covid-19. The year in clinical medicine was practically focused on a therapeutic approach and preventive works, with further implementation of digital techniques for distance control of clinical conditions.
Personally, I feel the medical progress was derailed with overloaded hospitals around the world, general lockdowns, distance working, loss of effective hours at work, and loss of income in many ways in small communities, different societies and even in the biggest economies. Who was happy this year? Only the vaccine producers.
Seychelles NATION: What are some of the trends in healthcare that we can expect to see in the coming year?
Dr Todorovic: On the world plan, the struggle will continue with Covid-19 in the year 2022 until the pandemic will fade and Covid-19 will reappear as an ordinary common cold/flu.
Yet, the time is not lost in the medical industry where major medical brands are progressively launching new digital technologies for medicine. The time is coming for ideas and technologies in the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare, together with digital networking, for making the health sector accessible to all in rural and remote areas. I believe that the coming year will be the year of digitalisation in health.
Seychelles NATION: In your opinion, how is Seychelles managing with Covid-19 and how prepared are we to implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) into healthcare?
Dr Todorovic: First of all, statistics show that in regards to Covid-19, Seychelles is well vaccinated ahead of many countries in this preventive struggle against the pandemic. The rest of the non-vaccinated population have already had the disease and the virus is circulating among the local public, thus increasing collective immunity. We are ‘over the hill’ and now in 2022, we have to work hard and make a contribution in revamping the economy and progress.
The question of further digitalisation in the health sector is in the hands of planners, people with vision and financial resources, and also in the daily price for use of the internet which is crucial for digitisation of medicine.
Some real-time transmission like medical pictures, online medical equipment, etc, require many gigabytes per second for continuous connection with clouds or distal technical centres, and the price of this remains a limiting factor. Seychelles providers are still among the most expensive in the world.
We are impatiently awaiting the digitisation of public health services and interconnection of healthcare providers in the country. This will make the health sector more efficient, better controlled and at the end cheaper for both the government and the private sector.
Seychelles NATION: You mentioned that Panafricare Clinic has already begun implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the management of the clinic. Tell us more about this.
Dr Todorovic: For a while now, Panafricare Clinic is already using electronic patients records, cloud based programme which consumes less electric energy for our computers and accessories. We have for years been using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in patient management.
For example, through AI, our employees are warned by the control system that a patient's file is missing the National Identification Number (NIN) or phone number etc in the demographic records. Or in clinical medicine, prescribing medicine online, our AI system warns a doctor that the newly prescribed medicine is in major, moderate or minor interaction with already existing medication of that patient, and advises the practitioner to correct the dose or change the prescription.
New equipment also incorporates AI in routine examinations. Ultrasound of pregnancy recognises the fetus and automatically takes some necessary measurements without a doctor, comparing them with standards and gives a diagnosis. We see major benefits for patients and professionals with increased safety, both in the clinical and non-clinical management of the organisation.
For more information, contact Panafricare Clinic:
- Telephone: 4 321 310
- Email: info@panafricare.com
- Follow ‘Panafricare Clinic by Dr Todorovic’ on Facebook
Panafricare Clinic takes this opportunity to wish all our clients, partners in health and friends, a Happier New Year 2022.
F.P.