After reading Hanah's post on dis intermediation within health care services, I was reminded of my trip to Ugnada last Christmas. In Uganda, as in many sub Saharan countries in Africa a medical doctor is not required to obtain a prescription or to buy what in the US would be considered prescription strength medication. There are many reasons for this, but the two most commonly sited reasons for this is that doctor visits are cost prohibitive for many citizens and that trained doctors often do not want to reside in the more remote locations.
Although there are many risks involves with self diagnoses, in these situations the possibilities of dis intermediation through the internet can actually be life saving. In addition, the apparent dis intermediation can actually serve as a way to increase traffic to qualified doctors. Patients can learn to recognize symptoms that can be treated and cured by medical professionals.
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