Sub-Saharan Africa has experienced exponential economic growth in recent decades. It now boasts a growing middle class, with parents who can afford the best for their children. Unfortunately, the deficit in health care workers in Sub-Saharan Africa is daunting: WHO estimated a shortage of 1.8 million health care workers in 2013. This number is expected to grow in the coming years to more than 4 million by 2035. In Côte d’Ivoire specifically, the World Bank estimated in 2012 that there were only 2 doctors for 10,000 people.
Despite these dire numbers, parents move mountains to find care for their children. First hurdle cleared! And there are many times when seeing a pediatrician is necessary: an acute illness, an urgent complaint, a required checkup, needed lab work. In these cases, parents must make it happen. But when the situation is not urgent, making it to a doctor’s appointment can be a real burden for families: missing work, missing school, fighting traffic, so many reasons why having to make it to the pediatric clinic can be difficult.
This is what Daktari can help with. Providing you with a trusted professional to answer your non-urgent questions in a timely manner without the hassle of traveling to the doctor’s office.
In addition to being available for medical advice through the app, please return frequently to read our blog posts, where common pediatric questions will be discussed.
About Daktari
DAKTARI is an mHealth app designed to enable the connection of parents to trusted Pediatricians who can put their mind at ease by providing trusted information on common pediatric health conditions and first aid situations that parents can manage at home.