You’d believe that in South Africa, one of the leaders in the ‘developing world’, the South Africa Medical Association (Sama) and the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) would cheer on telephone consults and pharmacy partnerships to improve medical coverage and meet patient needs–but noooo. SA initiative Hello Doctor has been shut down and other help line initiatives (e.g. nurse-patient) given notice that they are being ‘referred to their (HPCSA) undesirable business practices committee’. Calling ATA, which has worked on many international projects…SA needs to hear from you on this! IndependentOnline (SA)
1 thought on “No, no, no! to virtual consults in South Africa”
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It isn’t too surprising that medical professional associations resist telemedicine. This hearkens back to journalism professional associations resisting new Web media. We don’t hear from those old guard journalism professionals who decried bloggers ten years ago. They’re gone or assimilated. And so it will be with medicine.
Quote from Cluetrain (http://cluetrain.com/) “Hyperlinks subvert hierarchy.”