“My Government is geared towards basic primary healthcare services and finding ways of integrating cost-effective technological advances in providing care, even at the lowest level possible.”- President Uhuru Kenyatta at the 74th United Nations General Assembly, New York, on September 24, 2019.
In the forward to the Kenya National eHealth Policy 2016-2030, then Cabinet Secretary for Health, Mr Cleopa Mailu, acknowledges that while there are concerted efforts worldwide aimed at transforming access, care delivery, patient experiences and health outcomes through electronic health, eHealth remains in its infancy in Kenya. This, writes the Minister, is partly due to social, economic and technical challenges.
“It is noteworthy that some of these challenges include high cost of eHealth systems and innovations; low ICT literacy among users; lack of interoperability of eHealth systems; market fragmentation; weak regulatory framework; and possible violation of patients’ privacy and confidentiality.”
It is for this reason that the Ministry of Health has recognised and prioritised the need to develop and operationalise a comprehensive National eHealth Policy that clearly outlines the strategic direction on the use of ICTs in the health sector. The Policy will not only benefit the National and County governments by guiding them plan and budget for healthcare services, but will also propel the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals and Universal Health Coverage.
It is in view of these challenges and the infancy nature of digital technology in Kenya, specifically eHealth, that this chapter will digress a bit to highlight technologies and innovations (not necessarily ICT) that are in use in other parts of the world and in Kenya, in the hope of helping you, the reader – whether for leisure or as a techie, a health worker or policy maker – envision what healthcare driven by thought, creativity and innovation looks like. Most importantly, the anecdotes will prove that indeed it is important to incorporate technology and innovation in healthcare, especially at this time when the world is galloping fast into the fourth industrial revolution fuelled by digital technology.