Role of ICTs in the Health Sector in Developing Countries: A Critical Review of Literature

Abstract

This paper explores the domain of literature on information systems or electronic health (e-health) in the rural healthcare in developing countries. The main aim of this paper is to contribute to the development informatics community literature by bridging a knowledge gap. Based on secondary data, the study analyses the key policy debates and presents previous research finding. It shows that ICTs play a marginal role in access to health information due to the health vulnerabilities and limited information resources of the poor. This paper concludes that no ICTs will work in a resource-poor setting unless livelihood-based approach is intervened.