Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 4 February 2021 - Aga Khan Health Services in Tanzania (AKHST) today launched “PIGIA DAKTARI APP”, a new tele-medicine mobile app for android phones that helps Tanzanians access specialist care safely – in both urban and remote areas – from the comfort of their homes. The app is available for download in the Google Play Store.
In addition to specialist consultations by high quality professionals who are not available in their community, the Pigia Daktari App offers patients the benefits of safe, quality health care who:
- are unable to travel
- want to save time by not traveling too far to seek medical care from specialists
- are seeking privacy and do not wish to be seen in their community with privacy issues
- or are seeking affordable ways to get a second opinion with a specialist.
The app also encourages use of the referral system. It employs a user-friendly interactive chat box, which allows users to understand and pick the right information and doctors of their choices and seek help promptly. It also aims to identify and resolve existing barriers to access and provide reliable and timely best healthcare services. The app also lists helplines/emails available for easy reference.
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The Pigia Daktari App also seeks to tackle myths and misconceptions by featuring educational information to combat the increasing amount of unverified information currently circulating on social media platforms.
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Digital Health Resource Centre developed the app in collaboration with the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam. It is designed to complement the government’s efforts in using technology to enhance access to quality healthcare for communities across Tanzania.
“This application provides an opportunity to reduce the burden on health systems, not only in Dar es Salaam but countrywide,” said Prof. Hussein Kidanto, Associate Dean Medical College, Aga Khan University, East Africa and the Chief Guest at the ceremony. “The Aga Khan Hospital will continue to work with the Government of Tanzania, especially the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MOHCDGH) in bridging existing gaps within the health care system and enhancing the use of technology for enabling access to quality healthcare”.
Mr. Sisawo Konteh, Chief Executive Officer, the Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam, addressing the gathering, highlighted the importance of tele-medicine and said: “The Pigia Daktari App will address an emerging necessity as it will enable access and utilisation to safe quality health care without the patient having to visit a health facility. Henceforth, patients from across Tanzania will be able to have their timely consultations with different specialist consultations without visiting Dar es Salaam. The need for safe quality care became more pronounced in this Covid-19 pandemic era which has changed norms and ways of thinking about providing and enriching medical accessibility to patients without compromising quality standard and safety measures as a key priority!”
Pigia Daktari App can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
For media inquiries contact:
Aga Khan Health Services
Olayce S. Lotha
Senior Manager, Marketing
olayce.lotha@akhst.org
Tel: +255 717 516 650
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