A presentation about the future of healthcare in South Africa at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Johannesburg for the Telkom Foundation Careers Day by e-Patient Scholar, Vanessa Carter

6. Image Credit: Computer Museum Silicon Valley, USA

9. Digital technologies disrupting healthcare
Wireless Devices
Hardware Sensors
Social networks
Genomics
Mobile Technologies (m-Health)
e-Patients
e-Health
Telemedicine
Precision Medicine
Precision Health
Big Data and Analytics
Artificial Intelligence
Robotics
3D-Printing
Augmented Reality
Gamification
Virtual Reality
Bionics ……the list goes on

11. There’s an app for that!

13. The Human Genome Project (HGP)
was the international, collaborative
research program whose goal was the
complete mapping and understanding
of all the genes of human beings
As a result of the Human Genome
Project, today's researchers can find a gene
suspected of causing an inherited disease in a
matter of days, rather than the years it took
before the genome sequence was in hand.
Having the essentially complete sequence of
the human genome is similar to having all
the pages of a manual needed to make the
human body. The challenge to researchers
and scientists now is to determine how to
read the contents of all these pages and
then understand how the parts work together
and to discover the genetic basis for health
and the pathology of human disease.
The rise of bioinformatics to its current
prominence has paralleled the growth of the
Human Genome Project. Before the advent
of the program, molecular biologists had little
need for extensive computation.

14. PERSONAL
GENOMICS
• Personal genomics is a branch of genomics that
deals with the sequencing and analysis of the
genome of individuals
• Within digital health, personal genomics plays a
very important role in predictive and personalised
medicine
• Personal genomics helps to predict the likelihood
that an individual will be affected by a disease and
personalises drug selection and treatment
delivery to provide the best possible care
• As healthcare evolves, and technology expands,
consumer demand for more individualized care
will expand as well. And there’s no better place to
find individualized, precision medicine than in the
rapidly emerging world of personal genomics
Photo Credit: 23andMe.com

16. Photo Credit: ConnectMed.co.za

17. Photo Credit: MDsquare.io

18. In my case, I was able to have a video consultation with an expert
in the USA who had seen complex cases like mine often.
Through that I was empowered with the right information
to help me navigate our system in South Africa and find the
right specialists and make informed decisions.
It shortened my recovery period from years to months.
Risks do exist with telemedicine, but the future holds
tremendous promise for this technology to improve global access.

21. • The Spanish 3D printing startup Exovite's system
consists of a 3D scanner capable of modelling the
patient’s limb precisely, and generates a
personalized
custom made, 3D printed splint, such as the one
Dr Bertalan Mesko is wearing.
Printing the cast only takes a few minutes.
The system also includes a rehabilitation module
that stimulates the muscles below the cast with
electric signals, speeding up recovery and
preventing muscle atrophy.
• Globally, over 30 million people need mobility
devices such as prosthetics, while 80 percent of
the world’s amputees do not have access to
modern prosthetics. However, creating traditional
prosthetics is very time–consuming and
destructive, which means that any modifications
would destroy the original moulds. Researchers at
the University of Toronto, in collaboration with
Autodesk Research and CBM Canada, used 3D
printing to quickly produce cheap and easily
customizable prosthetic sockets for patients in the
developing world.
Photo Credit: The Medical Futurist
Dr Bertalan Mesko - www.medicalfuturist.com

26. Image Credit: Christopher Barnatt 2011
https://www.explainingthefuture.com/bioprinting.html

28. • SHAFI AHMED
Photo Credit: Dr Shafi Ahmed, Medical Realities

30. Photo Credit: Microsoft Hololens

31. Photo Credit: Insight Heart

32. Photo credit: Exelus

33. THERE IS VR FOR
E-PATIENTS
TOO!
Virtual Reality isn't just for gamers. A
new project between SickKids and
Sunnybrook uses VR headsets to ease
pre-surgery anxiety.
Patients watch immersive video of the
surgery process: wheeled down the
hallway, getting anaesthesia, waking
up. Pre-surgery anxiety has affects
that spill over even after surgery.
Photo Credit:
Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star via Getty
Images

38. • SYMPLUR
• PATIENTS LIKE ME

44. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (A.I)
Visitors and dignitaries at the
Ethiopia Information and
Communication Technology Expo
of 2018 held in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia were wowed by the
appearance of Sophia the robot.
Sophia’s visit to Ethiopia, which is
also where some of her parts
were developed, has been seen to
be a great inspiration for I.C.T.
students and could attract more
investment into the country’s
and Africa’s budding innovation
sector.
Image Credit:
AI For Good Global Summit
Ethiopia Communication Technology Expo
Photo Credit: A.I For Good Summit
Photo Credit: Ethiopia Communication Technology Expo