2 Ghanaians qualify for Humans of Digital Health campaign final

2 young Ghanaians, Gideon Assan and Samuel Nii Lartey Lamptey have been selected as finalists of the maiden Humans of Digital Health campaign.

The Humans of Digital Health campaign is by Young Experts: Tech for Health (YET4H), a platform for young people to shape and guide the agenda towards achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030 through data and digital technologies.

The campaign is set up to capture and provide a platform for diverse youth voices regarding the digital transformation for health on a rolling, sustainable basis, to raise awareness regarding the opportunities, risks, and challenges associated with digital health as experienced by young people in different parts of the world, to raise awareness regarding how the digital divide can worsen health inequity, particularly among marginalized and remote communities, and to identify solutions to narrow down the existing digital divide

Dr. Gideon Assan entered the competition by submitting a proposal on his curated comic-health drama project, which has been making waves on social media in the last three months.

Realizing the cultural and institutional barriers to the dissemination and consumption of health information in Ghana, the UCC School of Medical Sciences’ alumnus decided to use the power of digital media to make health information available to all.

Under the rubric ‘Health Quarters Ghana’, the medic has been creating video content using comic actors who act out everyday health dilemmas and myths with him using his medical knowledge to clarify these “dilemmas”.

These skits are circulated on digital platforms for free with the aim that the over 6 million social media users in Ghana are provided with crucial but often ignored health tit-bits in an interesting but informative way.

For the Humans of Digital Health Campaign, he will be tasked to develop this telehealth initiative, the first of its kind in Ghana, further into a digital database of audiovisual content on important health information.

On his part, Samuel Lamptey’s ‘The project’ idea was borne out of the recent incessant increase in teenage pregnancy cases in Ghana. The project is set to mobilise and encourage young people (in-school youth) to leverage technology in accessing key information regarding their reproductive health needs.

Using interactive theatre and video shows (animation), students from selected schools in Accra – Ghana will be introduced to mobile phone applications about menstruation, body changes, contraceptives, and other related topics.

“My vision is to see a world where young people have access to information, opportunities and resources to make informed decisions about their reproductive health,” he said.

The Young Experts: Tech 4 Health is an independent partner of Transform Health Association, a Switzerland-based organization.

The mission of the Young Experts is to engender a global movement that re-imagines healthcare in a digital age and champions youth voices and perspectives by harnessing the power of human-centered technology to deliver healthcare that is inclusive, equitable, and accessible to all.

Another finalist, Ernest Kyei, is also Ghanaian but is currently based in Germany.