Evaluating the Health Care the Level of Electronic Health (e-Health) among Healthcare in Developing Countries and It Application in the Management of COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak

Abstract

Context: Healthcare institution in developing countries is in a state of great despair, with the lack of basic health infrastructure and support services, compounded with the ever increasing number of old people , chronic diseases and the manifestation of new communicable disease such as the ongoing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (SARS-CoV-2, 2019 or COVID-19) pandemic. The massive healthcare disruption cause by the pandemic with respect to the management modality such as social distance and contact tracing re-affirm the importance of adopting the electronic health system in developing countries. This evolutionary trend in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with the advancement in eHealth is changing the face of health care system globally by bringing healthcare closer to the people in term of cost, accessibility and planning. Despite the well documented benefits of eHealth, the knowledge and the level of adoption of these technologies in most developing countries such as Lesotho is nothing to ride home about (still remains very low). The management of Covid-19 patients has proven that healthcare is not confined; but a structured global system, with people travelling long distances than ever before. Objective: The objective of this article therefore, is aimed at evaluating the state and the level of Electronic Health (e-Health) and its adoption in the management of Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, and to also provide the authorities with information on the importance e-Health technology in this 21 century. The paper therefore reveal that, the level of e-Health in developing country like Lesotho, is still very low, due to lack of political commitment in the provision of needed infrastructure support structures.