- Healthcare leaders gathered in Nairobi on February 22, 2024, to join forces to address critical health outcomes and improve programme performance.
- Those who attended included the Ministry of Health, Digital Directorate, Kenya Council of Governors, Kenya Healthcare Federation.
Image: FILE
Kenya's health system is getting a major boost through a new international health partnership bridging proven Africa-led AI technology and deep local contextual knowledge.
Healthcare leaders gathered in Nairobi on February 22, 2024, to join forces to address critical health outcomes and improve programme performance.
Titled “Technology-enabled Health Systems Strengthening”, the round table brought together high-level government, donor and private sector health stakeholders in Kenya.
Those who attended included the Ministry of Health, Digital Directorate, Kenya Council of Governors, Kenya Healthcare Federation, Kenya Red Cross, AMREF, Palladium, PS Kenya and LVCT Health.
Bernard Langat, Division Head, Directorate of Health Informatics, Ministry of Health said the role of government is to provide an enabling environment where other partners can provide health system-strengthening solutions such as digital health and AI.
"The government is always willing to listen, and emphasis is placed on, when one has a good idea, start and perfection will come along the way," he said.
He said the sector continues to grapple with various challenges, including inadequate funding, limited resources, human resource shortages, rising medical costs alongside low insurance enrolment, and regulatory challenges for novel and re-emerging products.
While HIV prevalence, new HIV infections and AIDS-related mortality have decreased, the challenge of new infections among key populations and adolescent girls and young women remains.
Kenya is among 30 high TB and TB/HIV high-burden countries that contribute over 85 per cent of the global TB burden while TB case-finding improved in Financial Year21/22, a significant proportion (32 per cent) of people with TB are still missed.
Vantage Health Technologies, part of the international social impact business, the BroadReach Group partnered with Africa Health Business (AHB), an Africa-based healthcare consultancy, to host leaders in the interactive partnership session.
Together they are launching a comprehensive training and capacity-building programme to provide local healthcare providers with the latest medical knowledge and technological skills.
Dr Gakombe Kanyenje Karangaita, Chairperson of the Kenya Healthcare Federation said it is impossible to achieve the UHC dream unless all health system building blocks work together cohesively.
"AI will be critical to improving the connectedness of payers and providers that will have an overall positive impact on the health system," he said.
Meboh Abuor, Senior Program Advisor for Council of Governors Kenya (CoG) adds: “We need to know how to sustainably exploit digital space for the benefit of the patient and the healthcare provider. There is an urgent need for AI driven capacity building for the Community Health Promoters (CHPs) with a focus on access, awareness, and affordability.”
The Kenya Red Cross represented by Mohamed Mohamud, Public Health Specialist said, “Technology should be tailored to help and impact fragile health systems and ensure the population benefits. There should be an emphasis on seeing the impact and sustainability of digital health solutions in the communities of the people who really need it.”