Two young Digital health activists and co-founders of Ghanaian based Startup Company FastRx Company limited have developed a web-based data platform, to help health workers perform contact tracing electronically with the click of a button.
The platform called the National Surveillance System uses a QR code to pick data from transport stations and business centers where clients visit to transact business.
Building management, business owners, commercial drivers and even community leaders across Africa can participate in this movement by registering their venue on the FastRx Check-In website for free.
Upon registration, a FastRx Check-in kit will be provided which includes instructions and the unique QR Code poster which can be printed and placed around the surrounding area of the registrant’s location.
People who visit the registrants transport terminal, business establishment or office, can then Check-in with their mobile phones in 3 simple steps.
The user will first have to scan the QR code on the poster at the location visited; Fill up the details required and ensure that the check-in is successful.
As this process goes on, the website builds up a simple mapping of places people are visiting, the passengers people joined commercial cars with and the offices and buildings that the people are entering.
Speaking to Ultimate News, Chief Executive Officer of FastRx Mustapha Zaidan pointed out that such information saves any person found with COVID 19 the hustle of having to remember every office, transport terminal and people that he or she has had contact with in the past fourteen days as demanded by contact tracing officers.
Mustapha Zaidan explained, “As soon as the patient gives his phone number to the health worker, the health worker will be able to track his past fourteen days movement. He will be able to know the potential people the index case has come into contact with, the people they’ve met at the bus stop, in a vehicle, at his or her workplace or people he or she has met at the supermarket.”
He told reporter Ivan Heathcote – Fumador that the only barrier his team envisages is the ‘illiterate’ populace and the difficulty in getting on unionized commercial passenger transport owners, to affix the codes for people to scan and complete the easy to fill forms when patronizing their services.
Zaidan’s team is of high hopes Governments Covid 19 technical team will find this web based system a potent addition to its drive at employing the power of Information and Communication Technology, to generate an efficient and real-time contact tracing data.
He also indicated that their efforts will be significantly enhanced if government encourages offices, supermarkets, institutions and transport terminals to register their premises and affix the QR codes to encourage its patronage.
Zaidan and William Abrefa are looking forward to scaling FastRx CheckIn System across Africa for all communities in Africa “for free to all users, to encourage and empower all businesses, commercial drivers, communities, and individuals to stay safe and be responsible wherever they may be by participating in the contact tracing efforts during this global pandemic.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Ivan Heathcote – Fumador