South Africa first in line to experience new leading-edge medical consultation technology
June 14, 2021
Dr Johan Pretorius, Chief Executive Officer of Universal Healthcare
Virtual appointments casting doors of access wide open
Conducting consultations and working through that waiting room queue is being revolutionized with the introduction of uConsultTM, a multi-sided virtual consultation platform, making home-based care singularly accessible in South Africa.
According to Dr Johan Pretorius, Chief Executive Officer of Universal Healthcare, this fully integrated system allows healthcare providers to connect with patients no matter whether they have medical aid cover or not, or which medical scheme they may belong to. There is no need to download a restrictive medical scheme prescribed app only available to select groups.
“Healthcare provider and patient are additionally able to connect with other providers from multiple healthcare disciplines without having to switch between systems – a revolutionary development,” asserts Dr Pretorius.
Created by Universal Healthcare, this South African product was developed by the company’s California-based team in Silicon Valley, the birthplace of some of the world’s greatest tech innovations.
Unlike certain other virtual consultation platforms, uConsult connects healthcare providers with patients using safe, scalable microservices technology making it accessible any time from any device, be it a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop. “Full accessibility to quality healthcare for all South Africans is uConsult’s ultimate objective,” Dr Pretorius says.
As a comprehensive suite of services with full office software integration, uConsult streamlines administrative tasks with an offering that includes electronic diary management tools, patient file management, generation of clinical notes and prescriptions, requests for radiology, nuclear medicine, pathology and specialist referrals. The predictive text functionality of the platform is a particularly advantageous timesaving tool, eliminating the need to fill out prescriptions, and pathology and radiology forms.
Patients are able to search for healthcare providers on uConsult by name, speciality or geolocation and virtual consultations can take place no matter whether the patient or the practitioner is based in South Africa or not.
“The vision for this leading-edge technology is rooted in the firm belief that anyone, anywhere should be able to access the best quality healthcare available. uConsult is an important step in that direction making physical and financial accessibility a reality for so many more South Africans,” notes Dr Pretorius.
“The advent of Covid-19 has changed the face of healthcare and indeed how we communicate. It is the beginning of a new era for the management of our health and how we interact with our healthcare professionals going forward. At Universal, this comes down to innovating and creating solutions that ultimately hinge on so much more than convenience – it is about making inroads into inclusivity, sustainability and connectivity for South Africans and beyond,” he concludes.
Dr Gercois Human (Photo: Facebook / Cape Town Interventional Radiology)
Medical first: Dr Herman Breet, Dr Jadine Du Plessis, and Dr Jaco Viljoen (left to right) performed South Africa's first liquid nitrogen limb salvage surgery at Netcare Unitas Hospital this week.
Netcare Medicross highlights a truth that surprises patients: your dental check-up isn’t just about your teeth, and your GP visit isn’t just about obvious illness.
Caring, evidence-based private mental healthcare in Limpopo
Hannah-Grace, her mother and aunt recently visited Dr Palesa Monyake and the multidisciplinary paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) team at Netcare Waterfall City Hospital.
Alexis Chapell shares his personal journey of kidney failure and the life-sustaining dialysis therapy of National Renal Care that he has relied on since 2009.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Awareness Day is observed on 4 March and the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) is highlighting the importance of early prevention of cervical cancer.
There is more to long-term health than keeping fit and eating right. Two oncologists are urging the public to become more aware of lesser known ways to reduce the risk of common cancers and how new technologies are improving the treatments available today.
Obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Mohamed Ghodhbani explains how pre-pregnancy checks help address risks and optimise health. He shares seven key points.
Dr Miems Kleynhans, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, warns that misinformation on social media and opinion-based websites fuels anxiety in expectant parents and advises parents to seek guidance from a healthcare professional.
