eHEALTH
— Using technology to improve health in the Global South —

Because eHealth solutions help overcome many economic, geographical and social barriers to healthcare access and compensate for the shortage of medical personnel, the Fondation Pierre Fabre is helping to develop and make known these solutions.
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Ninety-five percent of today’s world population has cellular network coverage and, in Africa, half the population, or 500 million people*, already uses mobile services. By 2020, 660 million inhabitants of the African continent will have a smartphone**, double the number in 2016.
While access to healthcare is the primary concern of people in low- and middle-income countries*, eHealth tools are important solutions in improving health coverage and service quality. The realm of eHealth is broad in scope, encompassing telemedicine, awareness and prevention through mobile applications that promote health, monitoring patients and epidemics via electronic medical records and much more. Such technology also makes it easier to manage health data, train caregivers through e-learning and democratise social insurance via mobile phones. In 2005, the WHO recognised this potential by adopting an eHealth resolution at its 58th World Assembly.
The Foundation shines a spotlight on these eHealth solutions by identifying and cataloguing leading-edge initiatives and supporting them financially, especially through the Global South eHealth Observatory. To redouble its impact, the Foundation is focusing its support on training healthcare professionals, IT specialists and policymakers, as well as conducting research to further implementation of sustainable eHealth solutions adapted to needs identified in the field.
*Pew Research Center study, September 2015.
**Deloitte study, April 2018.
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The Global South eHealth Observatory — Multi-country — |
The Foundation creates an eHealth degree with three African universities — Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast — |
Improving mother and child health – Khushi Baby — India — |
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Development of a low-cost, open-source echo stethoscope — Multi-country — |
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The Global South eHealth Observatory — Multi-country — |
![]() |
The Foundation creates an eHealth degree with three African universities — Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast — |
![]() |
Improving mother and child health – Khushi Baby — India — |
![]() |
Development of a low-cost, open-source echo stethoscope — Multi-country — |
Follow our action
The Fondation Pierre Fabre’s Global South eHealth Observatory is sharing its 2021 review
165 initiatives in #ehealth have been indexed and documented in the Global South eHealth Observatory database since 2016.
eHealth: Interview with Antoine Geissbuhler
Interview with Dr. Antoine Geissbuhler, Chief Medical Officer, Department of eHealth and Telemedicine, Geneva Hospitals, member of the Global South eHealth Observatory expert group
2020 Annual Report
The present pandemic has heightened the disparities in access to healthcare and the vulnerabilities in many countries in which the Fondation Pierre Fabre operates. The Foundation has chosen to become increasingly involved in countries in crisis and with the most disadvantaged populations. In this digital report, including videos and testimonials, we summarise the Foundation’s programmes and initiatives, as well as its governance and modus operandi, based on our partnerships and support given by local entities. Here in these pages, our allies in the field share their perceptions of existing needs and implemented solutions.