CAPE TOWN，South Africa，February232022-Vula Mobile，amedical referral app and online platform which hosts a network of health professionals，is partnering with Novartis，aleading medicines company，to improve eye care services in Sub-Saharan Africa（SSA）。Through a digital platform，primary health care workers can get connected with specialists to enable faster assessment of eye conditions and to optimize the way patients seek care in the rural outskirts
Thestrategic partnership aims to empower primary care facilities in providing service for adequate eye care，improve the quality of referrals to specialist centers and assist health administrators in making data driven decisions at a health system level
Primary health workers-from nurses，general practitioners and allied health workers，will use Vula to connect asynchronously to specialists on call to discuss their patients.“According to data generated，we have learned that in an average of 30%of the cases，the eye specialist gives medical advice via the app or on the online portal，enabling the patient to be treated and managed by the primary health worker.This saves the patient travel time，improves health care delivery， upskills the primary health worker and decreases the burden at the local specialist service，“said Dr William Mapham，Founder and CEO of Vula Mobile
Vula Mobile will work with Novartis to provide technical and strategic insights for a sustainable working model.The program will also be integrated into the Novartis Biome SSA[i]Community as an opportunity to further build capabilities of healthcare workers。
Commenting on the partnership，Racey Muchilwa，Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at Novartis said，“There is a clear scarcity of general eye care specialists in SSA-a2019study further shows that there are2.7 Ophthalmologists per million population in sub-Saharan Africa”[ii]打开；and these interventions will help utilize the limited resources by connecting primary healthcare workers with patients
Another important piece in the management of eye health is the impact vision impairment can have on every aspect of qualife，including the burden it can produce for patients，for caregivers and on the society.This partnership reinforces our commitment at Novartis，to actively engage patients and healthcasystems， enable broad and fast access to innovation，and improve health outcomes.“
The three-year partnership will commence with a pilot program in Namibia and Botswana，with focus on eye health.Plans to expand the collaboration in other countries across SSA in other therapeutic areas will ensue，following the successful completion of the first phase of the partnership。
“We believe that patients must have access to specialist health care.We offer a secure platform that connects healthcare professionals to identify appropriate and timely management.Our goal is to be Africa’sleading network of health professionals.The strategic partnership with Novartis a bistep to warsion”William Mapham added
[i]Novartis Biome sub-Saharan Africa-https://www.biome.novartis.com/innovation-hubs/novartis-biome-sub-saharan-africa
[ii]Resnikoff S，Felch W，Gauthier TM，et al.The number of ophthalmologists in practice and training worldwide:a growing gap despite more than20000practitioners
