*Long queues in hospital increase high mortality rate
*Nigeria’s one to 10,000 doctor-to-patient ratio, alarming

By Juliet Umeh

Medicare experts are increasingly getting worried that the high mortality rate in Nigeria is not being addressed by technology which is widely known as adequate measure to curb the ugly trend.

A few of them who spoke to Hi-Tech said Nigeria has a ratio of one to one thousand doctors, and decried that in the twenty first century a country as rich as Nigeria would be plagued by that kind of rating when technological deployments can arrest the trend.

They said the trend is even worsened by long queues in the hospitals amid several hours Nigerian patients travel before accessing a hospital.

Apparently to solve part of the problem, a  digital healthcare service company, CloudClinic Limited, CCL,  recently launched a  cloud-based healthcare solution  CloudClinic  to facilitate virtual consultation between patients and licensed medical practitioners.  The platform makes it possible for anyone to access affordable health care from the comfort of their homes, offices or on the go with the aid of their internet-enabled devices.

The company explained that potential users can register as a patients or doctor by downloading the app from the App Store, Google Play store or by visiting their website.

Founder/CEO of the Clinic, Mr.  Ifeanyi Aneke  at the unveiling of the product in Lagos described it as a suite of mobile platform, web and API services designed to seamlessly connect healthcare seekers in Nigeria to licensed healthcare services providers such as doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and medical laboratories

He said: “The clinic was motivated by a burning desire to bring quality and affordable healthcare to the ‘doorstep’ of every Nigerian.  We believe that healthcare should be convenient and accessible to every Nigerian. This belief birthed the development of our cloud-based healthcare platform,” he said.

Partnering with over a thousand licensed medical laboratories, pharmacies, and hospitals across Nigeria, CloudClinic has been designed to also access healthcare through preferred native language feature, which matches patients with doctors for effective communication.

He also  stated that the platform ensures strict adherence to optimal health standards for patients, offering a world-class healthcare experience.

Aneke added: “CloudClinic offers an extensive feature that gives patients a wide range of diagnostic, pharmaceutical, and hospital options, relying on our partnership with licensed and recognized medical laboratories and pharmacies while ensuring the confidentiality of all medical records.”

Also, Clinical Director of the platform, Dr Amy Ojiakor, highlighted that Nigeria has a one to 10,000 doctor-to-patient ratio.

She noted that an average Nigerian must drive long hours to get to a hospital and queue up for hours to see a doctor, adding that because of this limitation, Nigerian hospitals are plagued with many incidents of late presentation, which leads to a high mortality rate.

Ojiakor said: “Through CloudClinic, a doctor can request an investigation or prescribe a drug for the patient. The solution also makes it possible for a patient to quickly locate a Medical Laboratory Pharmacy and Hospital nearest to him or her.”

According to her, the platform also makes it possible for patients to have their samples collected in their homes and their drugs delivered to them when the patient cannot go out or do not want to go to the medical laboratories or pharmacies.