Using a location-based mobile application to locate a traditional health practitioner in South Africa

Mobile technology has permeated many industries, including the health industry. Different applications are used for various things in the health industry, from checking blood pressure to monitoring patients' health remotely. Following a legislation which was passed in South Africa to recognize traditional health practitioners as practicing doctors many bogus traditional health practitioners have emerged and are robbing unsuspecting patients their money. To curb this problem the South African government established a traditional health council whose mandate is to ensure that all legally practicing health practitioners register with it. However, prospective patients still find it difficult to locate these registered health practitioners. This paper proposes and presents a location-based mobile application to enable prospective patients to search for the nearest traditional health practitioner anytime and anywhere.