Rethink Healthcare Systems in Africa and Beat Cybercrime.
African countries have the advantage of being able to adopt the most recent information technologies in their healthcare systems.
In doing so, healthcare could not only be cheap and cost-effective, but also help reduce bottlenecks, waiting times, and dependencies on health institutions especially where health workers are scarce.
However, this infrastructure has a cost because the volumes of health data are expected to grow exponentially over time.
The coronavirus pandemic also has left governments in Africa scrambling to catch up as their historic neglect of public health systems is laid bare.
In addition, there is growing threat from nation states and criminals to the health system which is a cause of concern. And criminals pose a threat at a time when the pandemic has increased our reliance on technology.
In this context, African governments have an obligation to set appropriate rules for the use of patients’ data. Failure to do so represents a severe abdication of their responsibilities.
In 2016, the African Union Commission in collaboration with Symantec released a report that found out of 54 countries in Africa, 30 lacked specific legal provisions to fight cybercrime and utilize electronic evidence.
Cybercrime cannot be defeated by any single law. It has become clear that the collaboration of all stakeholders in the governance and operation of the Internet is required to protect the security and privacy of data including at the national and continental levels.
In 2017, it is believed that cybercrime cost Africa an estimated $3.5 billion, due to weak infrastructure security, lack of skilled human capital, and lack of awareness of the sector’s dynamics. The healthcare industry has been slow to respond and has lagged behind other industries when it comes to cybersecurity.
I therefore recommend that while they pursue reforms in their healthcare sectors, African countries ought to secure their cyberspaces. Connect this with the rise of 5G and increasing interoperability across healthcare systems, and one may see a large-scale attack based on the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices as the gateways of entry and spread.
Without proper privacy protections, there is concern that African citizens will refrain from engaging in the collection of health data. The challenge for policymakers is to strike the right balance between healthcare system reforms, law enforcement, and patient rights.
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