“Science and technology are the keys to both our longevity and our demise. Our entire existence on this planet is a double-edged sword.” — Rhys Darby

Introduction 

In the vast realm of science and healthcare, champions have risen to tackle pressing health challenges. It is worth mentioning that the healthcare industry is worth trillions, and it impacts people from all walks of life. Despite this huge number, the healthcare industry continues to leapfrog by virtue of aging populations, rise in healthcare spending, 

technological advances — just to mention a few! Just so you know, some regions like Africa are still struggling to go from rock bottom to the top. These regions are faced with some pressing problems, such as poor accessibility, limited access to infrastructure, and the high cost of affordable good health services. Today, cloud computing technologies like Akash Network are paving the way for the future, making unused resources readily available, useful, and affordable to people.

Overview of Akash Network 

Akash made its debut some time ago in early 2018 as a decentralized and open-source cloud computing platform. The Akash marketplace exists to help connect server owners that need computing power to host their applications using cloud computing resources — a hub where individuals can securely buy and sell computing resources efficiently without any hassle. Interestingly, the Akash marketplace owes its existence to Akash, a Tendermint-based blockchain, that lies on the Cosmos while also relying on a Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism.   

The Key Features of Akash Supercloud

Let’s explore some of the key features that make the Akash Network a unique cloud computing platform at the top of the food chain: 

• Kubernates Powered:

  When it comes to application development, developers often go through the easiest route. Imagine software that is scalable and also allows you to automate your operational tasks! Akash Network is backed by Kubernetes, which enables developers as well as businesses to swiftly deploy applications on Akash's cloud infrastructure, thereby eliminating manual work and fostering scalability across the platform.
• Dedicated IP Leasing: Akash’s IP deployment feature allows for static IPs, which help developers manage services and route traffic.
• Permissionless: Centralized platforms like Amazon Web Service (AWS) often work in compliance with terms of service or payment agreements. In contrast, Akash Network allows anyone across the globe to interact with the ecosystem without third-party interference. 
• Peer-to-Peer and Private: Akash’s Peer-to-peer communication ensures data privacy, payment transparency, and reinforcing dependability.
• Cost-effective: This is yet another key feature of the network; Akash currently boasts 90% cheaper rates than compared to centralized cloud computing platforms like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.
• Persistent Storage: Thankfully, the network allows for the deployment data to persist through the lifetime without limitations; even though application data are moved from one node to another or they are restarted, they remain available on the network.

Challenges Facing Medical Data Infrastructure in Africa

It is worth mentioning that there are many factors that contribute to the unavailability of good medical data in Africa; coming in hot at number one is poor data management. The lack of robust data management systems and practices has made data collection, storing, replication, and analyzing more difficult, thereby hindering medical data in research areas. In some regions in Africa, the permissionless nature of Akash Network is a far-fetched idea; cultural and ethical considerations have prevented data collection due to lack of trust in government, systems, or religious beliefs, which also affects data collection and storage. The last but certainly not least is limited access to technology. Some regions in Africa lack good medical technologies that slow down data collection and analysis in medical research due to a lack of modern technological advances. In terms of affordability and reliability, there’s also a barrier for accessing and sharing data.

Additionally, health data helps in the identification of relevant information, opens up new research opportunities for researchers,  and helps in finding solutions to complex health issues. It also fosters the discovery and development of cost-effective drugs or interventions for diseases. Now, big data analysis requires a good storage mechanism and fast, reliable internet services to bootstrap operations like real-time access and collaboration. Patients need quality assurance that their health data is secure from malware and vulnerabilities. Without strong data security, data collection remains problematic. However, this is often disrupted by poor storage mechanisms and inconsistent network infrastructure on the African continent.

Can I be real with you? Smartphone applications have played  a pivotal role in improving healthcare by eliminating the need for unnecessary hospitalizations and emergencies via self-management of chronic illnesses. Despite the cornerstone benefits of smartphone apps, there are some notable drawbacks that limit the use of IT in Africa for healthcare services, such as lack of access to advanced mobile phones, lack of technical know-how and trained healthcare workers, unstable electricity, which disrupt the charging of phones and reduce the access of vital healthcare data. These challenges must be addressed if the African healthcare industry wants to keep breaking boundaries.

The Benefits of Akash Network in Medical Data Management 

• Data Sovereignty: The Akash Network is at the core of securing patient data ownership in the healthcare industry. Here is an instance of how Akash is pioneering this build. Solve.Care joins forces with the Akash Network to make patients data persist indefinitely as opposed to centralized cloud computing platforms where sovereignty is not guaranteed.
• Cost-friendly: This is another potential use case. All thanks to Akash Network, which significantly reduces the cost of delivering Explanation of Benefits (EOB) documents. In today’s world, printing and mailing these documents to patients can cost anywhere around hundreds and millions of dollars. This alliance will help African healthcare providers deliver EOBs directly to patient Care.Nodes, enabling enterprise healthcare providers to reduce their administrative costs.
• Enhanced Remote Healthcare: The presence of Kubernetes technology, peer-to-peer mechanisms, and dedicated IPs can support telemedicine services in Africa, fostering operational tasks, seamless communication, and fast access to healthcare data.

Looking Ahead

This article highlights the issue of the limited lack of robust data management systems in Africa. We also discussed the issues of security hovering around patients’ data and how the lack of technical know-how and trained healthcare workers could impact the charging of phones and reducing the access of vital healthcare data. With the Akash decentralized cloud computing platform, it is clear that the future looks promising already! Despite all the pressing challenges facing African medical data management, Akash’s Network has all the toolkit needed to revolutionize the medical industry and beyond.

thanks for reading and dont forget to stake your Akash tokens optima labs (formerly cosmosAf)