Technology makes it possible to diagnose diseases on the spot – but South Africa’s public healthcare system faces several obstacles

By Tivani Mashamba-Thompson, Professor and Deputy Dean Research and Postgraduate Studies, University of Pretoria

Digital technology has hugely improved healthcare in many ways.

It’s now possible to test patients on the spot – in a clinic or hospital – for many health conditions.

Digital diagnostic devices can analyse samples like sweat, saliva, faeces, tears and breath for signs of major diseases such as cancer and HIV.

Testing at the point of care – where the patient is being treated – saves time that would have been spent waiting for results to come back from a laboratory.

And test results can be stored in a digital medical record to keep healthcare providers…

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