When it comes to digital healthcare, the biggest story of the moment is inclusion.

Even with the exceptional quality of our healthcare technology and advanced medical practices, the unfortunate reality is that women are left behind.

"Inclusion is a fundamental requirement for achieving equity. And equity in the strengthening of health information and systems is necessary for ensuring the high quality of data that serves the goal of improved healthcare for all,” said Stephanie Watson-Grant, Deputy Director at CHISU/JSI, while speaking at the Africa Health Tech Summit during the Mobile World Congress in Kigali on Wednesday, October 18.

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The Africa Health Tech Summit 2023, a pivotal forum at the crossroads of healthcare innovation, has allotted an opportunity to shed light on the critical issues concerning African women’s involvement in digital health and technology.

An alarming fact emerged that less than 30 percent of researchers globally are women. In Africa, a mere 24 percent of researchers are female, with only 30 percent of technology professionals being women.

Interestingly, approximately 62 percent of all health apps are accessed and used by women. This may not be surprising because women as caregivers and having high healthcare skill behaviors are likely to use digital homes to resolve health challenges and questions.

Watson-Grant further elaborated on the Digital Divide, saying that it revolves around gender inequalities. She explained that this division recognizes the disparities in device ownership, internet access, and women's representation in digital professions when compared to men.

"These imbalances have a direct impact on data quality and utilization.

In the predominantly male-dominated tech and digital health industries, important decisions regarding data collection, methods, analysis, and utilization are typically made,” she said. "Gender considerations must play a pivotal role in strengthening health information systems and ensuring their responsiveness and effectiveness.”

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To echo the sentiments of Dr. Frances Baaba da-Costa Vroom, the President of HELINA, as the keynote speaker in this session, "it is not enough to digitalize healthcare.” Watson-Grant’s underlying theory is that by actively involving women in the development of these strategic processes, countries can achieve both equitable decision-making structures and the advantages of diverse viewpoints, thereby acknowledging the importance of gender.

Now, regarding the essential elements for the sustainable transition of digital health and technology from the perspective of innovative startups, Nura Izath, the Founder and CEO of Neosave Technologies, stressed that while there has been a slight increase in the funding allocated to innovators, which stands at half a percent, in contrast to the past where female innovators received only 2% of the total funding, there is still a pressing need for further action.

She also placed emphasis on the importance of capacity building through STEM training and the need for collaboration among youthful start-ups to sustain their businesses.

"If we don’t address this promptly, with a forecast that by 2030, over 230,000 jobs will be in the digital sector, we risk exclusion from these job markets, especially for African youth, particularly women,” Izath warned.

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But as Rose Gahire, Vice Chair of HelpAge International’s Nsindagiza network member in Kigali, pointed out, the digital health crisis affecting women is more pronounced among elderly women aged 60 and above.

The digital exclusion faced by elderly people results from a combination of factors such as limited access to digital devices and the internet, insufficient financial resources among older women, and a lack of digital literacy.

"Artificial intelligence technologies perpetuate age and gender biases,” Gahire added. "They are sometimes referred to as 'BBC,' born before the computer, with assumptions that they are incapable.” To create age-friendly interventions, she said, it's essential to involve elderly women in the design process to ensure that healthcare innovations benefit everyone.

"So let's look at an old person, an old woman, as still having value in the transformation of the economy in any country we live in.”

Prof. Paul Lalvani, the founder and director of the Empower School of Health, shared that they have examined data from around 22,000 learners. The positive development is that, in the past decade, they have seen the gender gap narrow significantly. Initially, only 20% of the learners were women, but today that figure has increased to around 32%.

"Reaching women is not solely about the urban-rural divide,” Prof. Lalvani said, explaining that it extends to their access to digital health devices, content, and opportunities. When executed effectively, the results observed over recent years demonstrate that digital health presents an opportunity to bridge this gap and provide the solutions they seek.

He emphasized that when discussing entry into the digital healthcare space, two key factors should be taken into consideration.

"You must establish a suitable network dedicated to women in digital health, and then seize the opportunities once these components are in position,” the speaker concluded. It's now time to develop an approach that centers on learning, capacity building, and focusing on reaching women. Considering the insights shared by all the speakers, it’s crucial to approach this from an ethno-socioeconomic perspective.

A good starting point would be implementing policies that facilitate women in managing both their professional and family obligations, which might include child care assistance.

Take GIZ, for instance, which has introduced an initiative aimed at supporting mothers when their childcare responsibilities overlap with work obligations.

They offer practical solutions such as providing nannies for working women, enabling them to maintain their professional responsibilities while ensuring their children receive proper care.

With the right strategies, digital health can become a powerful tool for promoting gender equality and improving healthcare outcomes for all.