New Digital Platform Launches In Ghana To Tackle Sickle-Cell Disease

A new digital healthcare platform, EMGuidance which delivers essential medical guidance to support clinical decision-making at the point of care, is this month launching in Ghana. The independent platform connects healthcare practitioners to the local healthcare ecosystem and medical industry, bringing comprehensive, up-to-date and locally relevant clinical information to healthcare workers.
 
The platform, a public-private partnership with the Ghanaian Ministry of Health, leading medicines company, Novartis, and the Sickle Cell Foundation of Ghana, will be an instrumental step forward in supporting the initiative to improve outcomes for patients suffering from Sickle Cell Disease.
 
Globally it is estimated that 15 million babies will be born with sickle-cell disease over the next 30 years, with up to 90% of them in low-income countries likely to die before reaching five years of age. Early detection and treatment of the disease, however, can substantially reduce mortality[1].
 
“Empowering frontline healthcare professionals with locally relevant medicines and clinical guidance is critical to achieving the best patient outcomes. Many times, however, quick access to the right information to drive important clinical decisions is not at hand,” explains Yaseen Khan, CEO of EMGuidance.
 
“Taking complex clinical information, from across a medical ecosystem, and creating simple but powerful digital support at the point of care, is at the heart of what EMGuidance does, and is particularly relevant in the treatment of Sickle Cell Disease. With the support and leadership of local Ghanaian medical partners, we believe this effort will enhance clinical guideline adherence by practitioners, supporting improved rates of screening and diagnosis, greater dosage and treatment and accuracy, and ultimately reducing crisis events and supporting improved quality of life for patients with this disease,” he continues.
 
EMGuidance will serve as an independent medical platform that will be instrumental in carrying content and clinical information that supports the Sickle Cell Disease project to these healthcare professionals. However, the platform will not be restricted to this project alone, but will bring its full service offering to the market.
 
EMGuidance has launched in South Africa six years ago, and has grown rapidly, with 55% of health care practitioners in the country now signed up as subscribers. With over 10 000 daily users and over 1 million searches per month, it is a powerful day-to-day clinical decision-making support tool trusted by doctors, nurses, pharmacists and multinational pharmaceutical companies alike. It is free to use for registered health professionals.
 
For further information about EMGuidance visit https://www.emguidance.com/

For more information about Sickle Cell Disease and the Sickle Cell Disease project, visit https://www.novartis.com/diseases/sickle-cell-disease