The Kenyan government has shown yet another move in efforts to use the ICT industry to push for service delivery in key sectors following the launching of e-health yesterday in Nairobi.
Kenya’s Minister for Medical Services, Prof Anya’ng Nyong’o said in a statement — read by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mary Ngari – that making information communication through knowledge application has developed into what is today referred to as Information Communication Technology.
He added that the performance of key sectors now depended application of ICT.
Nyong’o said that the country was at present making strides aimed at making the country globally competitive with high quality life as envisaged in the country’s economic recovery strategy and millennium development goals.
According to Nyong’o, Africa accounts for 25 percent of the global communicable disease burden although it only comprises one percent of the total global expenditure on health care – and contains a mere three percent of the global health workforce.
He was speaking while launching a two-day conference on e-health aimed at discussing ways his ministry could integrate e-health into the country’s health sector.
E-health is intended to give Kenyans additional options in using accessible health facilities.
The Kenyan government has recently showed efforts to incorporate ICT in the country’s health information system.
In 2010, the Medical Service ministry and the Public Health and Sanitation Ministry launched the eHealth website, which gives an online listing of available public health centres across the country.The website released its listing yesterday — during e-health launch — of over 8,000 public health facilities downloadable from the site.
In August last year, the government launched the first National e-health strategy 2011-2017, which according to Nyong’o, is integrated within vision 2030. The strategy’s goal is to have a health care system that ensures equitable, affordable and consumer friendly health care services at the highest achievable standard for Kenyan citizens.
The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), a state health fund under the Health Ministry, has also announced plans to be roll out its outpatient cover from Junethis year. The inclusion of ICT in the health sector is set to enable Kenyans know which health institutions to visit for services.
