(Business in Cameroon) - During the cabinet meeting held on April 30, in Yaoundé, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications (Minpostel), Minette Libom Li Likeng, suggested the creation of a Digital Economy Development Centre to increase the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in health practices.

The Centre should focus on the production of digital solutions and "Made in Cameroon" applications as well as the large-scale interconnection of health facilities, she explained.

According to the Minpostel, this will resolve Cameroon’s problems in integrating ICT to the health sector since the country currently faces a shortage of local applications and digital terminals. The centre will thus help solve that problem while the country will focus on solving confidentiality problems related to the use of health information systems as well as the unavailability of electricity and the internet.

During the cabinet meeting, the Minpostel also indicated that the government has adopted a 2020-2024 Strategic Plan for Digital Health, to support ongoing initiatives, such as the National Emergency Telecommunications Network project. Also, many ambitious initiatives are being developed in telehealth startups. These include online consultations with a doctor or online analysis of cardiology parameters and the search of available pharmacies.

S.A.