Cabo Verde
Problem statement
The Republic of Cabo Verde is an archipelago of 10 islands and 8 islets located in the mid-Atlantic, around 450 kilometres off the coast of Senegal. Cabo Verde has relatively developed healthcare capacities. However, the country lacks specialist physicians, proper intrastucture and technical equipment. In addition, the long distances between the islands and isolation impede the accessibility of health services.
An established and operational national telemedicine and e-health network improves the accessibility and quality of health services, provides regular training for health personnel and reduces healthcare costs. By enabling teleconsulting, it reduces the number of patient evacuations to one of the two tertiary health-care institutions on the archipelago or even abroad (Portugal).
What we do
Capacity Building
The project, that lasted from 2011 to 2018, has been successfully concluded. With a holistic approach, the multiphase telemedicine program has focused on establishing a Telemedicine and e-Health network in Cabo Verde by:
- providing the telemedicine and e-health equipment to 14 pre-selected hospitals throughout all 9 inhabited islands;
- establishing a platform for continuous medical education (videoconferences and electronic medical library);
- providing training for the workforce (doctors, nurses and technicians) that will operate and maintain the telemedicine network connecting 14 centers countrywide;
- ensuring the network`s integration into the country`s healthcare system and its sustainability.
A comprehensive evaluation of the project for the period 2011–2017 executed by Deloitte finds out that: “In general, the telemedicine projects financed by Slovenia were successful, effective and efficiently delivered. The high priority of the project on the national agenda has translated into ownership of the program by all key stakeholders. The telemedicine network is integrated into the healthcare system of Cabo Verde, and the country is committed to the project as demonstrated via financing of the National Telemedicine Centre, provision of adequate space for videoconferences in all telemedicine centre locations, and employment of full time administrators for telemedicine. These measures, in turn, are key for ensuring sustainability of the national telemedicine program.”
For more information on ITF’s past activities in Cabo Verde, we welcome you to consult our Annual Reports, while for the plans in the forthcoming year please consider our Portfolio of Projects.