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.
For many first-time mothers, the idea of weaning can feel overwhelming. paediatric neonatologist Dr Letlhogonolo Sepeng from Netcare Park Lane Hospital offers guidance to help navigate this transition.
Cardiothoracic surgeon and founder of the Young Hearts Africa Foundation, Dr Wilhelm Lichtenberg, has made it his life’s purpose to reach children with life-threatening heart defects like Baby Kendreya Pillay's before it is too late. Since its inception in 2023, the foundation has helped 30 children.
Focus on the Workforce this Winter
Urologists Dr Hannes Brummer and Dr Johan Coetzee, who practise at Netcare Greenacres Hospital, are encouraging men to prioritise prostate cancer screening this Men’s Health Month.
This Youth Month, a pharmacist from South Africa’s original national courier pharmacy highlights HIV prevention and effective management as key health concerns the youth should be aware of.
It has been estimated that 80% to 90% of doctors experience some form of burnout at some point in their careers. This can affect their ability to practise optimally and to connect with their patients with empathy and care. The consequences are serious, as burnout and depression are major risks for doctors, threatening both their wellbeing and the quality of care they provide.
Upbeat 25-year-old student Atang Climantine Makhubedu jokingly calls herself a cataract survivor. Just weeks before, however, she was battling the harsh reality of unexpected vision loss, which Dr Sachin Bawa, an ophthalmic surgeon practising at Netcare Linkwood Hospital, describes as having significantly impacted Atang’s daily life.
A South African first of its kind tool is transforming patient care locally by leveraging Netcare’s advanced electronic medical records system and abundant clinical data. This will help clinicians identify risk of deterioration from common causes earlier among intensive care patients so that treatment can start sooner.
Ditshegofatso Kgobisa, known as ‘DK’ for short, suffered kidney failure at 15. After 11 months reliant on lifesaving dialysis with National Renal Care, DK gained a new lease on life after his mother, Rosemary, was able to donate one of her kidneys to him.
Migraines affect 15% of the global population, causing severe pain and disrupting daily life. Neurologist Dr. Michael Huth emphasises the importance of understanding different migraine types and their triggers.
