Impactful digital health transformation through a clear vision and values: insights from Eswatini

Aug 2, 2024

Echo Vanderwal, Executive Director of The Luke Commission, leads transformative healthcare for underserved communities in Eswatini. She discusses innovative telehealth hubs using shipping containers for better access to care. Drones are employed to deliver vital medications like antivenom quickly and efficiently. Vanderwal emphasizes the importance of community involvement and building compassion in healthcare staff. She also shares insights on developing local capacity for drone operations and navigating funding challenges in digital health initiatives.

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 5min

Building a Community-Centric Healthcare Hub

04:54 • 2min

Compassionate Care Challenges in Eswatini

06:34 • 26min

Innovative Telehealth Solutions in Rural Areas

32:53 • 11min

Transforming Snake Bite Treatment with Innovative Solutions

43:55 • 5min

Building Local Capacity for Drone Technology Success

48:38 • 3min

Navigating Funding Challenges in Digital Health Initiatives

51:24 • 2min

Vision and Values in Digital Health

53:07 • 6min

Episode 6: What can we learn about creating real impact for underserved communities from The Kingdom of Eswatini, a tiny country enveloped by South Africa?

Join us on the latest episode of the Global Perspectives on Digital Health podcast where we hear from Executive Director of The Luke Commission, Echo Vanderwal about the way that set up healthcare services for those who needed it most and added digital in a way that enabled healthcare workers to deliver compassionate, high quality care.

If you want to see how to create real impact for patients who have real transportation barriers rurally, then hear about what the Luke commission have done with :

Telehealth hubs out of shipping containers with access to doctors by video, and secure vending machine for simple non controlled medications, all enabled via Starlink
Drones piloted by local staff that deliver critical but high value medications like antivenom rapidly and effectively - and the impact this has had on the people who can now survive Black mamba neurotoxic envenomation

Or if you want to learn how they:

Enabled their community health workers by creating their own bespoke EHR and admin tool that was clinician centred and based on the fastest feedback loops possible (see the clip!)
Created a culture of treating patients with compassion to overcome and the values that helped them make decisions and get through some challenging times
Used the end goal of what they wanted great healthcare to look like, and made decisions on how digital could help them get there
Proactively worked with the country’s Civil Aviation Authority to work together on how to get in place what was necessary to be safe and deliver a high quality and reliable drone service (lesson here for regulators and developers on working closely together in unchartered territory with the end goal in mind - Stephen talked in episode 5 about how the regulator could and should be a facilitator.

There’s so much insight packed into this episode - it was energising to record it to say the least and I’m really inspired by the work and impact they have had.

If you are a healthcare leader, developer or working to create impact for the people rurally, you have got to give this one a listen and share it with others who might benefit from Echo’s insights.

Links:
https://www.lukecommission.org/
https://www.luvelo.org/