by MTHULISI SIBANDA
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – A SOUTH African Seeds for the Future team will head to the global finals of the Huawei Tech4Good competition after an impressive showing at the Sub-Saharan Africa regional finals held in China late last year.
The programme exemplifies this commitment to building digitally connected societies.
The winning project at the regional finals – called e-Kasi Care – uses the power of virtual medical consultations to help close the healthcare gap in rural South Africa.
These areas have few clinics and hospitals and also lack the necessary healthcare practitioners to adequately serve communities.
This situation results in patients needing to travel long distances to see a doctor and the shortage of medical professionals in rural communities also means vital interventions can take too long to be delivered.
e-Kasi care offers a solution to these challenges through a real-time feed solution.
This system records and relays a patient’s medical data, to help doctors who are available through virtual consultations make speedy diagnoses that can lead to life-saving interventions.
By collecting data from thermal cameras and heart rate monitors and integrating cloud-based analysis tools, e-Kasi Care can diagnose certain illnesses with an accuracy rate of 94 percent.
Minister of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, has called the project a “groundbreaking initiative.”
He added, “Young people and the solutions they create are the key to building a prosperous South Africa.”
“From innovating in health service delivery to unlocking economic opportunities, digital skills initiatives must be supported so the youth are empowered to build the future they desire for themselves.”
Deputy CEO of Huawei South Africa, Charles Cheng, reflected on the progress that students have made in the programme.
“This cohort from South Africa has exceeded expectations and set a new standard for future applicants,” Cheng said.
“We cannot wait to see the e-Kasi team’s broader impact as they show the world how meaningful solutions can be developed when social issues and technology intersect,” Cheng said.
The Seeds for the Future initiative is Huawei’s global flagship student training programme geared toward the ICT sector across six global regions.
In South Africa, it has been running for close to a decade with the support of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) to ensure that tech-savvy university students gain the necessary skills and mentorship to be successful industry leaders in the near future.
The team leader of the award-winning e-Kasi Care project, Thirushan Pather, has also been selected as a global ambassador for the Seeds for the Future programme.
During these regional finals, Pather and 13 other South African students joined more than 100 students from 15 African countries for a week-long training programme in Shenzhen, China.
– CAJ News