A new mobile application has been launched to support health care providers in cancer management in particular breast cancer and cervical cancer.

The app is designed to support communication and information sharing. 

The project was launched on Friday, October 8.

Funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the app dubbed Join, will be implemented by Allm in partnership with C/Can in five referral hospitals in Rwanda.  Allm Healthcare IT firm.  

The app is expected to run for a period of two years

The  mobile communication app  will focus a lot on cancer management in particular breast cancer and cervical cancer on October 8

Allm Africa Executive Director, Dr Christian Beck, said that they intend to consolidate the patient’s information, which will save time for both the patient and clinical staff. 

"If you are a patient in Rwanda you have to go to one hospital for one treatment and when you go to another facility for a second treatment they do not have access to your previous results. This was a big issue” Beck explained, adding that "The patients have to re-do the test, paying for the new process among others. So we are trying to reduce the cost and referrals.”

He further explained that for complex diseases like cancer, which need imaging, laboratory reports and summary history of patients to come in one place this app will help the doctors to have it all on a tap of the smartphone – everywhere and anywhere in a very secure way. 

The system will be installed in hospitals, creating an ecosystem where medical professionals can connect using Join to help cancer patients. 

"This is expected to help in sharing information, laboratory results such as images among others so that health care providers can do a quick follow up of the patient,” Beck explained. 

In Rwanda, the five referral hospitals, which have been selected to implement the system includes Rwanda Military Hospital (RMH), University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), King Faisal, University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB) and Butaro Hospital — the main hospital for cancer treatment. 

Delegates follow a presentation during the launch of a mobile communication app Join to support health care providers that will focus a lot on cancer management

According to Beck, this is the first time they have signed an agreement with the government besides Japan and they consider this as a good move. 

Talking about the reason they focused on cancer for this project, he said that they wanted to know the disease with a problem they can visibility show that there is a benefit to have use of technology into it and cancer was on the top of them. 

Yvan Butera, the Deputy Executive Secretary in the Ministry of Health said that this is the right time to use technology since the people's movements are limited due to different reasons and pandemic is among them. 

"This is very important in this time of a pandemic and the government of Rwanda, in general, has promoted the use of technology and innovation in health care and we believe that this project will help in sustainable health care system as well as support the integration of high quality in coordinated health care services,” he said. 

They will provide all needed support to help in the implementation of this project. 

Allm is a Japanese Healthcare IT company that is dedicated to shaping healthcare and that seeks to benefit society by launching next-generation technologies and medical communications platforms for the healthcare industry.