By Ashok Ramsarup :: Two South African medical students have raised the bar to help alert patients to take their medications timeously. Fifth-year student Kapil Narain and second-year student Mohamed Hoosen Suleman have presented their innovative solution to a panel of international experts in Geneva. They are medical students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Narain and Mohamed Suleman, who was selected by the World Health Organisation and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from 40 countries, created what they described as the “Pill Alert” to Tackle Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

According to research Antimicrobials are one of the most successful forms of chemotherapy and have been used to save the human population from the threat of infectious diseases.

They developed the innovative design using mobile-based technology to send automated alerts and reminders via text messages to patients to encourage them to take their medication timeously and seriously.   Among the panel of scientists that heard the presentation include from as Public Health, Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology, Behavioural Scientists, Communication Experts, and Implementation Strategists on the invaluable “Pill App”.

Narain explained that 10 million people could die yearly if AMR was not tackled early and prevention was of utmost importance to safety health in 2020.   “With the advent of digital innovations the world is moving rapidly in the Artificial Intelligence era.

While Mohamed Suleman strongly believes that new strategies and challenges were needed to update patients of the new developments in health sciences and medical fraternity.

Both Narain and Mohamed Suleman who is Summa Cum Laude Pharmacy graduate were working feverishly to find innovative ways to have prescriptions automatically linked to “Pill App” so that patients could be alerted immediately of their medicine intake.

World Health Organisation Assistant Director-General Dr Hanan Balkhy heaped huge praises on the medical students for their innovative and outstanding project. Dr Balkhy added: “The youth is showing initiative in finding ways to solve problems and to meet the growing global challenges in health care in the next Millenium.”

Ashok Ramsarup is award-winning senior journalist of South Africa