Digital Outposts
As part of gdhub’s work to accompany the complex digital transformation of healthcare and contribute to the defragmentation of the digital health space, the digital outposts serve as distributed centres of expertise outside of Europe, providing real-world knowledge on ongoing initiatives and acting as testbeds for tools, activities and development projects. The first outposts are in Mali and Nepal.
Digital Outposts
Local centres of expertise that provide real-world insights, serve as test beds, and strengthen the local ecosystem for sustainable transformation.
Mali
The Geneva Digital Health Hub (gdhub), part of the WHO Collaborating Centre for e-Health and Telemedicine at the University of Geneva, has extensive experience in deploying telemedicine and tele-education solutions in low- and middle-income countries. One of its flagship projects, the RAFT (Réseau en Afrique Francophone pour la Télémédecine) network, was set up in Mali in 2001 to meet the continuing education needs of rural doctors. CERTES (Centre d’Expertise et de Recherche en Télémédecine et E-Santé) became a key partner and a leader in French-speaking Africa in medical tele-expertise, tele-education and the development of open source health information systems.
Since 2022, CERTES has been coordinating the gdhub outpost in Mali, organising workshops, hackathons and mapping digital health projects. They are also leading a gender study and a scale-up project to assess the impact of telemedicine on access to healthcare for vulnerable populations.
We value our long-standing partnership with CERTES and look forward to continuing our collaboration on these important initiatives.
Nepal
The B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) in Dharan, Nepal, is a leading autonomous health university known for developing a skilled, socially responsible health workforce, providing comprehensive care and conducting innovative research. It plays a vital role in the delivery of health services throughout eastern Nepal, working in partnership with various health facilities. Since 2022, BPKIHS has been coordinating gdhub’s digital outpost in Nepal, with which we’ve had a decade-long collaboration in telemedicine.
The Digital Outpost has organised key events such as the Digital Health Ecosystem Mapping – Partner Workshop, #HACK4HEALTHCARE and Nepal’s first Digital Health Conference. They are currently conducting a gender study and preparing to launch a scale-up project to assess the impact of telemedicine on access to healthcare for vulnerable populations.
We look forward to continuing these initiatives with the BPKIHS team.
Outpost Teams
Nepal
Prof. Pramendra Prasad
MD
Head of Nepal gdhub Outpost
Prof. Narendra Bhatta
PhD
Focal Point
eHealth & Telemedicine Program, BPKHIS
Rakesh Kumar Das
Technical Coordinator
eHealth & Telemedicine Program, BPKHIS
Anish Bhattarai
Technical Coordinator gdhub Nepal
Biography
TBA
Biography
Prof. (Dr) Narendra Bhatta is a respected healthcare leader serving as the Professor and Head of the Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) in Dharan, Nepal. He also leads the eHealth and Telemedicine Program at BPKIHS, demonstrating his commitment to enhancing healthcare through technology. With his expertise, he plays a pivotal role in advancing medical care and accessibility
Biography
Rakesh Kumar Das is a skilled engineer and leader. He serves as the Head of the Computer Management Section and holds the role of Technical Coordinator for the eHealth and Telemedicine Program at BPKIHS. With his expertise, he contributes significantly to the technological aspects of healthcare initiatives, ensuring smooth operations and innovative solutions for improved medical services.
Biography
Anish Bhatatari serves as the Technical Coordinator for the eHealth and Telemedicine Program at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Nepal. With extensive experience gained from various international and non-governmental organizations, he brings valuable insights to his role.
In addition to his primary responsibilities, Anish is a freelance web designer and application developer, dedicated to enhancing healthcare processes through innovative technology. He is trained in clinical data management, emphasizing the importance of confidentiality in medical records.
Mali
Prof. Cheick-Oumar Bagayoko
MD
Head of Mali Outpost
Biography
Professor Bagayoko is an expert in medical informatics and eHealth. He currently serves as Head of the Innovation and Digital Health Center at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako in Mali. He brings over 25 years of experience in managing and implementing major eHealth projects, notably through expert missions carried out across multiple African countries and Europe, as well as through his role as General Coordinator of the Network in Francophone Africa for Telemedicine (RAFT).
Prof. Bagayoko serves as Vice-President of the Francophone Interest Group within the International Medical Informatics Association, is a member of the board of the Pan African Health Informatics Association (HELINA), is a full member of the Malian Academy of Sciences, and is a Fellow of the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics.
Professor Bagayoko has authored numerous scientific publications and has been the recipient of numerous scientific and honorary distinctions, including the Swiss government postdoctoral Excellence Fellowship, the Mali National Medal of Merit, and the “RFI Challenge App Afrique” award.
Mahmoud Cisse
MD
Technical Coordinator Mali
Biography
A medical doctor by training, Dr Mahmoud CISSE has specialised in medical informatics and biostatistics, enabling him to combine clinical expertise with a mastery of digital technologies applied to healthcare. He holds a Master’s Degree in Expertise and Engineering of Health Information Systems and a Master’s Degree in Quantitative and Econometric Methods for Health Research, reinforcing his ability to analyse complex data and develop innovative solutions to improve healthcare.
Currently a project manager at CERTES (Centre d’Expertise et de Recherche en Télémédecine et E-Santé), he plays a key role in setting up, monitoring and evaluating telemedicine projects, in particular their health economic impact. His work involves measuring the economic and clinical impact of these initiatives, while ensuring that they meet the needs of patients and healthcare providers.
He has also been involved in the establishment of a digital health outpost in Mali.
His current work aims to harness the potential of AI to facilitate access to healthcare for the general public, and also to optimise the activities of healthcare professionals.