Digital lifelines: How technology is revolutionising diabetes care in Ghana

(COURTESY: BHC/KNUST/RAIL)

WHEN Dan­iel Osei’s phone chimes at exactly 7:30 PM each evening, the 34-year-old fashion designer doesn’t need to check the screen. The highlife ringtone, play­ing a familiar Ghanaian melody, is his daily cue to take his diabetes medication.

“Before I started using this app I found on the Play Store, I would forget doses all the time,” he says, opening DiabCare on his phone. “My glucose levels were always unstable. Now, they’re the most consistent they’ve been since I was diagnosed five years ago.”

Developed by the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), Di­abCare is more than a reminder—it’s a mobile health diary. Users can track blood sugar, blood pressure, heart rate, body weight, daily steps, general well-being, and medical events. For Osei and many others, it has become a lifeline.

Osei is part of a growing movement where technology is transforming diabetes care across Ghana, offering solutions to patients navigating a health system stretched thin by limited infra­structure, high costs, and unequal access.

Connecting care through mobile phones, with smartphone usage now reaching 60 per cent of Gha­na’s population and basic mobile phones in the hands of over 85 per cent of adults, healthcare providers and digital innovators are tapping into mobile connectivity to bridge gaps in care.

At the Diabetes Management and Research Centre in Kumasi, even simple SMS reminders are having a big impact.

“We started a basic text-messag­ing system for rural patients three years ago,” says an endocrinologist at the centre, who asked not to be named. “Medication adherence improved by 62 per cent in the first year alone. Sometimes the simplest interventions are the most effective.”

The SMS platform sends re­minders in seven local languages. Patients confirm they’ve taken their medicine by replying with a keyword. Missed replies trigger follow-up calls from trained com­munity health workers.

Telemedicine for the

margins

For a 65-year-old retired civil servant, Emily Akosua Darkoaa, who lives in Berekum in the Bono Region, accessing diabetes care once meant a punishing Six-hour trip to Kumasi or Accra

“Now, I just speak to my doctor through my son’s phone,” she says, smiling as she shows how her son positions the camera for her monthly virtual appointment. “The doctor checks my feet, looks at my eyes, and reviews my sugar readings. It saves me money and stress.”

The growing adoption of tele­medicine is cutting travel costs and improving outcomes for rural and elderly patients. Platforms like Dig­ital Health Access allow users to browse doctors, view profiles, and schedule video consultations—all from a mobile phone.

But it doesn’t stop there. “We’re not just connecting patients to doctors,” says a technician with the platform. “Pharmacists, dieticians, and community health workers are now collaborating in real time to support holistic diabetes care.”

Medication at your

doorstep

Perhaps the most transforma­tive innovation has been in how patients access their medications. Online pharmacy startup, Pharm­Access, has introduced a platform called MED4All, offering a digital marketplace where users can com­pare drug prices, order medicine, and arrange home delivery.

“Our platform ensures price transparency and convenience,” ex­plains Dr Maxwell Akwasi Antwi, Country Director of PharmAccess. “We also support facilities with fast access to credit via the Medical Credit Fund, so they can pre-fi­nance medicine stocks.”

To reduce costs, PharmAccess aggregates orders from patients in the same area and negotiates bulk discounts—savings that are passed on to customers. For patients who rely on insulin, this can reduce costs by 30 to 40 per cent.

For diabetes patients and media practitioners, Eric Amoh in Ta­male, technology is also a tool for safety. Using his phone, he scans a QR code on his insulin package to confirm the drug’s authenticity.

“I don’t only scan the insulin, I do for other tablets like Galvus Met 50mg/1000mg and Glucanix Met 50mg/1000mg,” he notes, stressing, “This tells me instantly if the medicine is genuine. Once, I bought insulin from a pharmacy and it turned out to be coloured water. I ended up in the hospital. This system has saved my life.”

The verification tool, developed by Ghanaian startup MediVerify, is part of the country’s fight against counterfeit drugs—a major chal­lenge in Ghana’s pharmaceutical supply chain.

Paying for treatment,

bit by bit

For many patients, affording di­abetes treatment is a daily struggle. But Ghana’s strong mobile money ecosystem is helping bridge that gap too.

Microfinance startup, Heal Finance, has developed a health savings plan that allows users—mostly informal sector workers—to save small amounts daily toward medical expenses.

“Many of our clients earn irregular incomes,” says Josephine Annan, Heal’s product manager. “They might make money one day and nothing the next. Our platform allows them to save two or five cedis when they can—spe­cifically for their health.” The platform also provides emergency medication loans that can be ap­proved in minutes.

Market vendor Mercy Adjei recalls how this helped her. “My insulin ran out two days before payday,” she says. “I applied for a loan on my phone, and within 30 minutes I got approval. I used the code at the pharmacy and got my insulin right away.”

Data that saves lives

Technology isn’t just helping in­dividuals—it’s also generating valu­able data for public health plan­ning. The Ghana Health Service now uses Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping to identify diabetes hotspots, track medication access, and map specialist avail­ability.

The system can quickly identi­fy underserved areas and deploy resources where they’re needed most. Since the tool’s introduction in 2022, Ghana has established 23 new diabetes care centres in under­served districts.

Bridging the digital

divide

Despite these gains, challenges remain. Digital literacy among old­er patients is low. Internet access in rural regions is often unreliable. And for many low-income families, smartphones are still out of reach.

“We risk creating a two-tiered system,” cautions Dr Priscilla Kol­lie, a digital health researcher at the University of Ghana. “Technology should reduce healthcare inequali­ty—not reinforce it.”

Policy backing for innovation

The Ministry of Health is responding with policy and infrastructure. Its national Digital Health Strategy, now underway, seeks to modernise healthcare delivery through data-driven, tech-enabled systems.

One pillar of this strategy is the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS), which links hospitals, the Ghana Health Service, and the Food and Drugs Authority to streamline pa­tient records, referrals, and service coordination.

Launched in 2018, LHIMS is currently being rolled out across public hospitals. Another tool, the Ghana Integrated Logistics Management Information Sys­tem (GhiLMIS), tracks medicine distribution nationwide, reducing shortages and wastage.

“These systems ensure that inno­vation doesn’t outpace regulation,” says Dr (Pharm) Esther Asantewaa Acherekoh, Head of Pharmacy at Manhyia Government Hospital. “We’re building a national frame­work that supports innovation while safeguarding patient rights, privacy, and clinical standards.”

Taking back control

Back in Kumasi, Daniel Osei says his phone has become more than a device—it’s a partner in his health journey.

“Before, managing diabetes felt like a job I was failing at,” he says. “Now, it’s part of my routine. I may still have diabetes, but with technology, I finally feel in control. And that’s everything.”

BY KINGSLEY E.HOPE