In Côte d'Ivoire, seeing a doctor no longer necessarily means spending hours travelling to a hospital or waiting for a consultation.
Since 2019, the Umed eHealth Center has used telemedicine to connect doctors with patients across Abidjan, offering an alternative to conventional consultations in a city where traffic congestion and long distances can make accessing healthcare challenging.
From behind a computer screen, Dr. Esther Kassi-Aleba begins a consultation with a patient several kilometers away.
The patient is unable to travel to a healthcare facility, but through a video call, Kassi-Aleba can listen to her concerns, ask questions and assess her symptoms remotely.
There are no crowded waiting rooms or lengthy journeys — just an internet connection connecting the patient to medical care.
"We realized that for simple tests, such as a malaria test or minor symptoms, patients can face very long waiting times in hospitals," says Kassi-Aleba, a doctor at the Umed eHealth Center. "We decided to take some of the pressure off hospitals by managing these minor conditions while using technology to improve access to healthcare."
From the screen to the patient's home
But the consultation does not always end online.
When a patient requires a physical examination or treatment, the center can dispatch a medical team to their home.
Kassi-Aleba says receiving care in familiar surroundings can also make the recovery process more comfortable.
"We recover more quickly at home. With our family, and with a little family love, this enables us to recover better — or let's say, to recover more quickly," she says.
On one such visit, Nurse Micheline Apete prepares to make a home call.
"We're going to Attoban to see a patient suffering from abdominal pain. She has a fever, headaches and vomiting. Following the doctor's instructions, we're going to treat her," Apete says.
Minutes later, the medical team arrives at the patient's home and begins treatment based on the doctor's instructions.
The patient receives intravenous paracetamol to help reduce her fever, along with other prescribed medication.
"We gave her intravenous paracetamol to bring down her fever. The doctor prescribed a treatment plan, including a vitamin complex to give her a boost. She'll feel better in about 10 minutes," Apete says.
Care without leaving home
For Seynabou Messou, who has used the service for seven years, telemedicine has become part of her healthcare routine.
After years of navigating Abidjan's traffic and hospital queues, she says receiving medical care at home has made a significant difference.
"I'm not too keen on hospital beds, so I prefer to be 'hospitalized' at home, in my bedroom or living room. What's changed for me is that there's always a team on hand, whatever the time, and I don't need to travel to access care — even for blood tests and test results," Messou says.
The Umed eHealth Center says it receives about five requests for remote consultations each day.
Remote consultations and home visits are included in its treatment packages, providing an alternative for patients seeking more convenient access to healthcare.
Telemedicine has its limits
Technology, however, cannot replace every aspect of medical care.
The center mainly manages minor conditions remotely. Patients who require surgery, resuscitation or other specialized treatment are referred to appropriate medical facilities.
For now, the combination of telemedicine and home-based care is offering some residents of Abidjan a simpler way to access medical attention — without having to leave home.
As technology continues to reshape healthcare delivery, Côte d'Ivoire's experience shows how digital tools can help bring doctors closer to patients while easing some of the pressure on conventional health facilities.
(Report compiled by Wanja Mungai, edited by Halligan Agade)
