AccesHelth

Equity in Care

Improving access to healthcare in South Africa by connecting patients in low-income areas with volunteer doctors and physicians in the U.S. through telemedicine. This approach addresses two critical issues: the shortage of healthcare workers and the need for adherence to clinical guidelines.

Introduction

Listen to AccesHelth's founder Candice Tang talk about the founding story and the supporting statistics behind this organization at the United Nation's Global Goals Week in 2024.

Our Vision

Our vision is to create a future where every individual in South Africa has immediate access to high-quality healthcare, regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic status. By pioneering innovative telemedicine solutions, we aim to build a healthcare system that is equitable, efficient, and empowered by global collaboration and local expertise. This system will not only address immediate health disparities but also foster a sustainable healthcare environment that thrives on community participation and technological advancement. Through our efforts, we envision transforming the landscape of healthcare in South Africa, making it a model of accessibility and excellence in the global community.

oral responsibility drives us to pursue universal healthcare, aiming to uphold dignity for all patients.

quity in the health sector ensures that economic background has no bearing on patient access, erasing health disparities.

edication to improving quality of life manifests in our high standards of medical and operational excellence.

nnovation through technology transforms healthcare delivery, breaking down barriers to provide efficient, scalable solutions.

ollaboration builds robust partnerships, creating a global healthcare community and enhancing our collective impact.

SDG3
Good Health and Wellbeing

By focusing on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and other prevalent health issues, the project aims to improve health outcomes and reduce mortality rates among vulnerable populations in South Africa. It supports the country’s efforts to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) and ensure access to quality essential healthcare services.

SDG8
Decent Work and Economic Growth

Through free healthcare services, the project reduces economic burdens on families, potentially increasing disposable income that can be redirected towards other economic activities. By supporting local healthcare providers, it also enhances job satisfaction and professional growth among healthcare workers.

SDG9
Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Using telemedicine, the project promotes innovative healthcare solutions that are scalable and sustainable. It reduces the strain on traditional healthcare infrastructure and expands access to medical expertise in remote or underserved areas.

SDG10
Reduced Inequalities

By targeting the most vulnerable populations in South Africa’s public sector, the project aims to reduce inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes. It ensures that all individuals have equal opportunities to receive high-quality medical care, regardless of their socioeconomic background.

SDG17
Partnerships for the Goals

The project is an example of international cooperation and partnerships between stakeholders in South Africa and the U.S. These partnerships are crucial for sharing expertise, resources, and best practices in healthcare delivery, ultimately supporting broader sustainable development goals.

Insights

Impact Areas

SDGs for the UN

Social Perspective

South Africa's fight against social inequalities, a legacy of apartheid, continues to create disparities in healthcare access, especially for vulnerable populations burdened by non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This project aims to bridge these health inequality gaps by connecting patients in underserved areas with experienced U.S. volunteer doctors through telemedicine. By improving access to specialized healthcare and focusing on NCDs, which account for a significant portion of deaths, this initiative addresses critical social issues.

Environmental Perspective

Higher mortality rates in low-income rural areas can severely impact local agricultural practices and food security, as families affected by illness or death struggle to maintain productivity. This often leads to soil degradation, deforestation, or increased use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, all of which have significant environmental consequences. By connecting these communities with volunteer doctors in the U.S., our telemedicine project improves health outcomes and reduces mortality rates, enabling families to maintain their agricultural productivity and mitigating the associated environmental impacts.

Political Perspective

From a political perspective, our telemedicine project aligns with and potentially accelerates South Africa’s efforts toward universal health coverage (UHC) through its National Health Insurance (NHI) initiative. By providing healthcare access to underserved regions, we support the national agenda of making high-quality medical services universally accessible, fulfilling the political commitment to UHC. Our cost-efficient telemedicine model addresses budgetary constraints and competing policy priorities, offering scalable and sustainable solutions that alleviate financial pressures on the government.

Economic Perspective

South Africa's healthcare system is marked by significant disparities between the well-funded private sector and the underfunded public sector, deepening economic inequalities. 'Company Name' is a non-profit telemedicine organization aiming to bridge this gap by providing free healthcare services to the 71% of the population reliant on the public sector. Over the next five years, we aim to ensure that 5% of the most vulnerable population receives care from experienced U.S. volunteer doctors, particularly for non-communicable diseases.

Founder

Candice Tang

At age 12, I saw my father cry for the first time when he learned my grandfather had liver cancer. My father, in the U.S. with me, couldn’t be by his father’s side in China during his final moments. This experience opened my eyes to how healthcare impacts families. While shadowing an oncology physician at City of Hope, I saw the life-changing potential of advanced treatments and noticed many patients traveling long distances for care. This solidified my belief that quality healthcare should be accessible to everyone, everywhere.