According to the World Health Organization, the top 5 killer diseases in Nigeria besides HIV/AIDS are: lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia, bronchitis and complications from the flu; malaria; diarrhea, yes, diarrhea; and measles. It’s also kind of obvious that it will take us quite a while before Nigeria will be having uproarious congress discussions regarding free healthcare or health insurance reform or any other thing of the sort. Here’s an idea: Mobile clinics! This idea is replicable throughout Africa and is already in use in Swaziland to reach HIV/AIDS patients.
Equip a van to diagnose and treat these 5 diseases. The van will drive around a city or into remote villages. You don’t even need doctors. It can be called “Nurses on Wheels!” Mobile clinics could charge standardized prices for their services. For instance, the first 15 minutes of a consult are free. Consults lasting longer than 15 minutes cost $1 per 15 minutes. A prescription for drugs would cost $0.50 and patients could instantly fill their prescription at the van if the drug is available. Various lab tests would also have their respective prices. A general checkup could take say 20 minutes and cost $5.
People can sign up to get significant savings if they pay a monthly or yearly fee – essentially providing them basic health insurance. The mobile clinic can be linked to hospitals to which a nurse can email, call or send a note to refer a patient. The clinic would also keep records of every visit and thereby create electronic health records that can be accessed from any mobile clinic van. So say you’re downtown but you live outside the city, the mobile nurse or doctor you run into can easily look up your name and find any needed information to help you.
What are your thoughts? I’m not a health professional so feel free to correct any unfounded notions about providing healthcare that I may have.
Links:
http://www.mobileclinics.co.uk/index.php
http://www.usdfa.org/index.cfm?views=Proj_MobileClinicAfrica
http://www.starafrica.com/en/news/africa/article/china-gives-zambia-53-million-dollars-fo-71285.html
http://www.medifit.co.za/
Nice one dude!! A feasibility plan will need to be fleshed out to make it sustainable but i love the initiative. Very cool!
Already implementing one in Oyo state with some family. Cool stuff. The governor is looking at the proposal lol. Has great potential for immediate impact. Thanks for the post!
Awesomeness! Please keep us posted on any progress that comes of this. If I may ask: How much would the cheapest mobile clinic for the most basic healthcare cost?
Love it! Absolutely! But i would really, really like us to get the point where we are the ones implementing these brilliant ideas, cos from where i stand, it seems the older generation don’t have development on their minds anymore. Everyone is into politics of some sort. May we never become like them in Jesus’ name! Amen.
I think it is a great idea, since most people can get to the hospital. May be they can make it even more affordable.
I am a Healthcare professional and this is an idea of mine. I am smiling as you have taken my proposal off the sheets that they have been written on. A nurse and Health Care Assistant led service is always best. I just pray that all our proposals come into fruitation, helping those in need.
Great idea for the start but we need more susstainable system of health care. when the poeple in a country are sick, the country is sick.
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