MoH Uganda Launches A Traceability App For Covid-19 Patients

The Ministry of Health in Uganda recently launched a mobile app to alert coronavirus surveillance officials of any new infections in the country.

Dubbed Call The Clinic, the app has a short code MOH – CTC that uses digital maps to locate a patient and facilitate both video and voice calls. If further generates notifications to the patients from the ministry regarding tips on staying safe and updates on the status of samples sent in for testing.

The app launch follows complaints by suspected patients whose test results have delay issues, leaving them in a limbo of how to live their day to day lives as contact with other people is limited. Suspected patients also complained about a state of anxiety that resulted from the long wait for test results.

Doctor Diana Atwiine, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health noted that the app comes in handy to solve such challenges.

She said; “In the coming days, we should be more vigilant on fighting the spread of coronavirus, with this application, we will be able to provide timely medical information and immediate action which will allow us to get back to our normal routines faster.”

Available for download on the Playstore and Applestore, the app will give updates on daily test results released by the ministry, and any other information on the disease published. It also allows for anonymous alerts from the citizens to be uploaded, pertaining to any suspected patients in the country upon which the ministry officials will reach out for testing.

Vicent Bagiire, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance said that the development of the app was done by part of the funds allocated towards the fight against the pandemic in the country. He further lauded the developers of the app, CTI Africa, a team of local ICT experts.

“These funds are still available for any Ugandan with innovative ideas on to use technology to halt further spread of COVID-19,” he said noting that the current infection stood at more than 300 people.

Bagiire placed a call on innovators to apply for grants to come up with solutions that will help flatten the coronavirus spread curve in Uganda.