ZiDi Windows App
Kenyan mobile health management system startup ZiDi is seeking to tackle the issue of maternal and child healthcare by facilitating the diagnosis and treatment of common diseases.
ZiDi, which the Kenya ICT Authority named this year’s Innovation Award Winner in the healthcare delivery sector, provides access to real-time data to improve health planning decisions.
Developed by MicroClinic Technologies with technical support from Microsoft under the 4Afrika initiative, the application is being trialled in six health centres and public dispensaries in Kiambu and Kisumu counties.
The app automates stocktaking, personnel administration, financial management and service delivery in health centres, making it possible to monitor service utilisation and consumption of vaccines and all essential drugs and accurately forecast the potential demand for over 5,000 health facilities in Kenya.
“ZiDi is trying to transform and bridge the digital divide in the health sector at a very fundamental level using the opportunity technology offers in the health space. The application runs under Microsoft Windows Azure Cloud coupled with Microsoft’s productivity suite, Office 365 to channel real time secure communication between health centres in different locations, and facilitate scalable access to back up data,” said Mary Matu, ZiDi’s co-founder.
ZiDi also consolidates data at the time of service delivery from various lines of service and all Ministry of Health programmes, such as the malaria and tuberculosis programmes, which currently rely on data collected manually, can access their respective data in real time online, thus creating new levels of efficiency and accountability in the public sector.
Microsoft country manager for Kenya Kunle Awosika said: “We are excited to work with MicroClinic Technologies to help revolutionise Africa’s health sector through technology to improve lives. In the World Health Report 2013, the World Health Organisation called on countries to continue investing in local research in order to develop a system of universal health coverage tailored to each individual country’s situation. This is what ZiDi is about; relevant local innovation.”
