Dactari Total Health Solutions has signed a partnership with the Kenya Medical Women’s Association (KMWA) that will see members across the country adopt the Afya Digital Doctor (ADD) solution that promises to bring efficiency to private offices.
With the solution, it will be possible for independent practitioners and clinics to coordinate their management processes within a consulting office, therefore minimising the time spent on mundane tasks such as sorting through billing and managing patient records.
The agreement will allow both parties to share the revenue benefits that come from doctors’ adoption of the solution.
“The partnership being initiated today with the Kenya Medical Women’s Association is a very happy one for Dactari Health because it makes absolute sense that an IT firm should ‘wed’ an organisation that has doctors who will use its solutions,” said Dr Emily Obwaka of Dactari Health.
“At the same time, KMWA is advantaged by having an IT partner that will help its members improve their services to patients and become more profitable.”
KMWA’s chairperson Dr Praxedes Okutoyi said the partnership has come at an opportune time to affirm KMWA’s belief in continuing to improve healthcare and increase medical access to the least in the country.
She added that KMWA recognises and wants to take advantage of Dactari’s strengths in IT to improve quality in the way they provide health care services.
“We recognise IT’s potential to improve the health standards in our country and its potential for facilitating interoperability across private and public sectors as it is used within and across different healthcare settings,” said Okutoyi.
“We also recognise the potential there is in having a central repository for health information and understanding epidemiological patterns that can then help decision makers make important decisions regarding health priorities for timely health interventions and for budgeting.”
As they signed the agreement both parties acknowledge that there is work ahead to fully convince doctors that healthcare IT will ensure better patient care, lower healthcare costs and make them more effective and efficient.
Both parties were also of the opinion that building organisational development and change management capabilities are crucial steps for success to help convince the majority of doctors of this value, and thus drive its progress.
“There is evidence that doctors truly desire change and are willing to increase their investment in IT. We are confident that we together can take the needed steps to propel this change not only in Kenya but across Africa,” said Obwaka.
