Team Launches Telemedicine Service

The Botswana-University as part of the Penn Partnership (BUP) www.med.upenn.edu/botswana is collaborating with Microsoft, www.microsoft.com, the Botswana Innovation Hub www.bih.co.bw, and other global partners to launch the first telemedicine service in Africa. The service will use TV white spaces to bring internet connectivity to hospitals and clinics across rural areas of Botswana.

TV white spaces is a technology that enables the delivery of broadband using dynamic spectrum access. Unused spectrum on the frequency range commonly used to deliver television channels is known as TV White Space (TVWS). Microsoft through their “4Afrika” initiative has launched similar pilots across Africa in Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, and Ghana.

The BUP is working with three main partners, the Government of Botswana, the University of Botswana, and the University of Pennsylvania to build capacity in sustainable and high quality healthcare in Botswana through clinical care, research, and medical education.

The pilot project called “Project Kgolagano” focusing on maternal medicine, will provide clinical consultations and diagnoses to a patient population who would otherwise have to travel long distances to the capital city of Gaborone in Botswana to receive specialized care.

Project Kgolagano will initially be available in three locations to include Lobatse (Athlone Hospital), Francistown (Nyangabwe Hospital), and Maun (Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital) with additional hospital locations to be added in the coming months. In addition, Tsopeng Clinic in Lobatse, Donga Clinic in Francistown, and Moeti Clinic, Boseja Clinic, Maun Clinic, Sedie Clinic and Maun General Clinic are due to be connected.

Other collaborators on the project include Global Broadband Solutions www.gbs1.com, Vista Life Sciences www.vistalifesciences.com, BioFINet www.bofinet.co.bw, Adaptrum www.adatrum.com, and USAID-NetHope http://nethope.org.