IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

In a five-year plan, the Government will install tele-medicine health facilities across the country.

This will allow patients to get results of their diagnosis and prescriptions from where ever they are without having to travel to those stations.

Experts we be able to attend to them from any location in the country and abroad, through a computerised system.

Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) now wants Government to introduce safeguards that will guarantee privacy. The requirement that all SIM cards be registered for the identification of phone users, Kemri says poses new challenges with regard to maintaining anonymity of research subjects.

Speaking in Mombasa during the commissioning of an EMR system at the Port Reitz hospital, health cabinet secretary, James Macharia said ICT is the backbone for economic growth in the world.

“The ministry is making out major strides in the realization of a digital world. We have planned to set up fully functional data centre, implementing of district health information system and health workforce system,” he said.

The Kiambu County Health department has designed an information system aimed at interlinking hospitals with the county digital platform.

A total of 13 level 4 hospitals and The Thika Level 5 Hospital are set to be involved in the project.

This was revealed by the Kiambu County Chief Officer for Health Steven Njuguna during the annual awarding of Thika level 5 staff at the institution

M-health can broadly be defined as the use of mobile technology to deliver healthcare services.

These are medical platforms that have allowed for patient data to be accessed remotely via online channels and the provision of a mobile interface provides that last mile that empowers practitioners and patients access much needed information while physically distant from the medical facilities.

The Kenyan government has launched the country’s first National e-Health Strategy aimed at ensuring health information is provided to the right person at the right place and time to support quality and efficient healthcare.

Medical Services Minister Professor, Anyang Nyong’o said the development of the e-Health Strategy comes at an important time when the health sector is implementing far reaching reforms to realize the right to health enshrined in the Constitution.

• M-health can broadly be defined as the use of mobile technology to deliver medical services.
• There already exist medical platforms that have allowed for patient data to be accessed remotely via online channels and the provision of a mobile interface provides that last mile that empowers practitioners and patients access information far from hospitals.
• At a personal level, m-health is taking the form of mobile applications and interactive mobile sites that empower one to reach personal health goals by keeping track of a diet plan or fitness regimen.

When one mentions healthcare and mobile in the same sentence, the two concepts may seem the strangest of bedfellows, more so since traditional medical services have been obtained and delivered through physical trips to a hospital.

Such information is necessary to create awareness and sensitise Kenyans on preventable or treatable diseases.

Kenyans will soon be able to get information on diabetes, heart diseases, cancer and epilepsy on their mobiles phones through a partnership by Safaricom, the Ministry of Health, and five associations that create awareness and support patients and families with the diseases.

He was speaking yesterday in Nairobi while launching a two-day workshop on e-health. The conference seeks to discuss ways of integrating m-health into e-health.

Patients visiting Pathologists Lancet Kenya, an independent laboratory institution, will soon start using electronic cards to access and pay for treatment, just as it is done in the banking, shopping and travelling sectors.

World Bank Lead Health Specialist Khama Rogo said with technological advancements, provision of healthcare no longer required direct contact between a doctor and patient.

He told Capital FM News that advancing E-health could also be used to bridge the gap of health workers and bring down the cost of healthcare.

“Technology has now made it possible for people to interact without seeing each other or being in the same room. The health sector offers some opportunities where that can happen and technology now makes it possible for us to get the best possible advice or even treatment for somebody who is not in the same room with you or information,” Rogo noted.

Research done by mHealth Alliance and released by UN office in Nairobi, reveals that more advanced mobile technology can do even more, such as checking on patients, keeping records, improving diagnosis and treatment in the field, and letting community health workers consult general practitioners and specialists for guidance.

Die vier Studenten sind nicht die einzigen Kenianer, die mit frischen Ideen und intimem Wissen über die Verhältnisse vor Ort die Probleme ihres Gesundheitswesens selbst in die Hand nehmen. Mittlerweile ist in dem ostafrikanischen Schwellenland eine Generation von technikaffinen jungen Menschen herangewachsen, und eine schnell wachsende Start-up-Szene hat sich etabliert. Dabei zeigen die Einheimischen oft mehr Geschick als die ausländischen Wohltäter, Nichtregierungsorganisationen (NGOs) und multinationalen Unternehmen, die bislang beinahe ein Monopol auf technische Hilfe für Entwicklungsländer hatten.

It is not an altruistic endeavor however, as both companies hope the move will see their profit margins increase, after prices wars have devastated the countries telecom sector in recent months.

This new battle has analysts worried that it could quickly become a pitted battle between companies if efforts are not made to ensure price wars on e-health services do not begin.

The innovative system will prevent Kenyans from falling prey to fake medicines which have begun flooding markets in East Africa.

Even though similar systems have been tried in Ghana and more recently in Nigeria, this is believed to be the first time the use of such an approach - known as the mPedigree platform has been endorsed at cabinet level in any country in the world.

Information Permanent Secretary Dr Bitange Ndemo said although expensive, satellite cannot be disregarded as it will help provide the last mile solution to consumers.

“We have done a lot of work in terms of fibre optics both undersea and terrestrial, but fibre is not a substitute of satellite communication and you can never cover the whole country using fibre optics,” he said.

Most probably "Nah, forget it!" And it would be reasonable and human to feel so.

The new skills he or she acquires cannot justify the anguish and death in the absence of medical care. Yet this is not to say it is not important for doctors and health workers to acquire new skills.

The service allows clients to seek answers to their medical problems from health professionals.

AAR’s Phone Medical Doctor, popularly referred to as Phone MD, involves sending an sms on your mobile to 4227.

This was the inspiration behind Kenyandoctor.com, a platform for online medical consultation. The telemedicine concept is rapidly developing and people no longer have to spend long hours queuing to see doctors or keep quiet about those personal ailments.

Among the lucrative yet unexploited sectors is e-health. E-health refers to health services and information delivered or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies.