Telephone Communication, ICT Use and Digitalisation in Healthcare Performance

Emmanuel Manu (), Frederick Dadzie () and Simplice Asongu
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Emmanuel Manu: Armidale, NSW, Australia
Frederick Dadzie: Uralla, Australia

No 26/006, Working Papers from European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS)

Abstract: This study explores the impact of telephone communication, ICT use, and digitalization on healthcare performance in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a region facing challenges such as limited infrastructure and resources, geographical barriers, and a high disease burden. It uses panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) GMM-style estimation, variance decomposition, and Granger causality methods, and analysing data from 1998 to 2022. Advancements in telephone communication, measured by fixed telephone subscriptions, significantly enhance economic growth, government expenditure, and population growth, supporting the hypothesis that improved ICT infrastructure contributes to broader socio-economic and healthcare benefits. Increased ICT metrics, including ICT goods’ exports and imports, correlate with reduced malaria incidence, aligning with the hypothesis that ICT engagement positively affects health outcomes, though the effect on tuberculosis is less pronounced. Digitalisation, represented by fixed broadband subscriptions, significantly reduces both malaria and tuberculosis incidences, confirming the hypothesis that digital infrastructure plays a critical role in improving health performance.

Keywords: Telephone communication; ICT use; digitalisation; healthcare performance; Sub-Sahara Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 61 pages
Date: 2026-01
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http://publications.excas.org/RePEc/exs/exs-wpaper ... care-Performance.pdf Revised version, 2026 (application/pdf)

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Journal Article: Telephone Communication, ICT Use, and Digitalization in Healthcare Performance (2026)
Working Paper: Telephone Communication, ICT Use and Digitalisation in Healthcare Performance (2026)
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