On Thursday, Maureen Mbaka, Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) at the Ministry of ICT, Innovation, and Youth Affairs, joined AfyaRekord, a digital Health Data platform, in launching the Universal Patient Portal at the Movenpick Hotel in Westlands Nairobi.
Mbaka praised the AfyaRekord management team for their efforts in launching a portal that will change the way Kenyans access their records and health services.
“This landmark will undoubtedly establish Kenya as a leader in patient-driven healthcare and health data management,” she said.
According to Mbaka, Kenya’s Vision 2030 calls for the development of a vibrant ICT sector, and as a result, the government has developed a number of policies and documents emphasizing the importance of technology and innovation in achieving Kenya’s strategic goals.
“Among the policies is the National ICT Policy, which was established to increase the contribution of ICT to the economy by 10% by 2030.” “The government has always viewed ICT as a foundation for building a more robust economy,” the CAS stated.
Mbaka emphasized the importance of using data to drive and inspire better decisions. “The Data Protection Act in Kenya has resulted in significant strides in enabling the proper use of data,” she said.
“Data and its proper application or use will unlock opportunities that will see economies thrive as the insights provided are likely to translate to increased transparency and good governance,” she added.
Mbaka stated that the Ministry of ICT, Innovation, and Youth Affairs is implementing Wide Area and Local Area connectivity in all level 4 to level 6 hospitals in the medium term and all level 3 and level 2 hospitals in the long term in the health sector.
“The Ministry is implementing an enterprise-wide solution in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to facilitate the automation of health services, which will all be processed and managed locally,” she explained.
According to AfyaRekord founder and CEO John Kamara, data is extremely valuable in healthcare, and the Universal Patient portal will now assist patients with chronic diseases in consolidating and tracking all of their medical data.
“Cancer patients will frequently be required to carry multiple documents throughout their cancer journey,” said the CEO, “but with this platform, all of their data will now be safely stored in one place.”
According to Kamara, the platform is the result of a lot of hard work and research by some of the best minds in health care.
“You can not only track your medical data, but you can also track your children,” he explained. “You can book appointments, talk to your doctor directly, or even video chat,” he added.
Kamara expressed his delight at the launch of a platform that will change lives and increase access to quality healthcare for all Kenyans.
