It’s amazing how healthcare has evolved since I was a child and how it continues to evolve year on year. Now that we have so much access to technology and social media we are much more likely to Google our symptoms or talk to a medical professional on social media.

In fact there is now an online GP website where you can have a virtual Dr’s appointment without leaving the comfort of your home.
This is the subject of ‘The Future of Healthcare by Emmanuel Fombu.

Dr Emmanuel Fombu MD, MBA, is a physician, author, speaker and healthcare executive turned Silicon Valley entrepreneur.
The book discusses ways in which technology can be used to make healthcare more accessible to the masses, after all every other aspect of what we do is now controlled by technology. Online dating, music has switched to streaming and we rely heavily on things like Alexa and Google home, to name a few.

In the US alone the healthcare industry alone is worth around $1.7 trillion. In the UK, the NHS is the world’s fifth largest employer. Dr Fombu wants a system which is more affordable and sustainable, uses less paperwork and is better managed using technology. An example he makes is that medical professionals are so overworked that we aren’t given undivided attention doing GP appointments, we in and out in less than 10 minutes with barely enough time to discuss our healthcare concerns, meaning that many of us don’t feel like we are receiving adequate healthcare.

There is also issues of hospital systems not communicating properly, meaning that if you are transferred to another hospital your files don’t always follow, again meaning you might not receive adequate healthcare. This is something which I have personally been a victim of and it can be frustrating to be trying to chase the correct information. Dr Fombu discusses the advantages of having a system like Alexa for patients, which would save millions for the industry. Everything could be controlled by technology, such as diagnosis and having prescriptions sent out directly to your home cutting out the middleman and saving on manpower and paper waste.
In terms of the sustainable side there’s a huge amount of wastage in the healthcare industry when it comes to pharmaceutical companies and even the cost of training scientists and the time involved, switching to Artificial Intelligence would again save lots of money and resources.

Obviously for serious illness it’s essential to seek face to face medical advice but for minor illness’s it would free up time by having a better system.
Ultimately the aim is for people and machines to work together to create a better system for medical professionals and the general public.

Having read the book and the evidence-based facts I can’t help but agree with Dr Fombu’s goals. The current system seems very outdated and when every other aspect of our lives is becoming more sustainable and relying on technology it would be great to see healthcare heading in this direction.
The book is fantastic and I have only scratched the surface with this review. It is a very science-based book and it won’t be for everyone but I found that everything was explained well with links to read more on the particular topics at the bottom of the pages.
The book really opened my eyes to the mess our healthcare systems are in and how we can do better.

I would recommend this to anyone who already has an interest in healthcare.

*I was gifted a copy of the book in return for an honest review.