MoH to develop biometric system to streamline medical records

The Ministry of Health is working with the governments of Japan and Belgium to develop a biometric medical records system in the country.

The biometric system is expected to streamline medical records and improve patient care.

On Friday, the Health CS Susan Wafula hosted the ambassador of Japan to Kenya Okaniwa Ken and his Belgian counterpart Peter Maddens at her Afya House office.

“With significant support from both Japan and Belgium, especially during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the three nations are working together on several initiatives to improve healthcare in the country,” the ministry said in a statement.

According to the ministry, the three countries are also planning to strengthen government-to-government cooperation in expanding social and primary health in Kenya, bringing significant improvements to the country's healthcare system.

“These partnerships with Japan and Belgium are expected to have a significant impact on the healthcare sector in Kenya,” the ministry said.

“With streamlined medical records and improved vaccination management, the country's healthcare system will be better equipped to serve its citizens.”

Expanding social and primary healthcare, the ministry said, will help to ensure that all Kenyans have access to the care they need.

Already, the ministry is collaborating with Japanese engineers on a Vaccination Management System (VMS) that will include biometric technologies to improve the survival rates of newborns in Kenya.

The system developed in partnership with NEC Corporation (NEC) and Nagasaki University, Japan, is expected to effectively and seamlessly manage vaccination history and scheduling using fingerprint identification for newborn children and voice recognition for caregivers.

According to KEMRI, the system uses NEC technology to classify fingerprint images collected from four fingers of a newborn; into five categories according to the shape of each and then registers the fingerprint pattern data.

The four include the left thumb, right thumb, left index finger and right index finger.

The system also combines pattern-based classification with NEC's voice recognition to improve accuracy when verifying the identity of caregivers and newborns.