Ministry phases out manual health files

The Public Health ministry has rolled out a digitisation plan to store and back up its records.

The initiative is a joint venture between the government and Hewlett Packard (HP), through the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).
It will link the country’s 1,500 health facilities and 20,000 healthcare workers who will be filing patients’ records and health status reports in soft copy to the ministry headquarters.

The Health Data Centre will acts as a central hub integrating the health information system (HIS), human resources information system (HRIS) and the electronic medical records (EMR).

Mobile phone technology has also been embraced through the integrated disease surveillance and response that allows the ministry to send out text messages to the public in the event of a disease outbreak.

The project, estimated to be worth Sh124.9 million ($1.5 million) will see four other regional data centres set up in the coming year.

This will enable the country to put in place forecast and planning strategies by generating datasets on disease outbreak, prevalence rates and vaccine penetration for budget preparation, policy interventions and surveillance.

“We are embracing technological advancements that will help improve the health sector,” said Dr Shahnaz Sharif, the director of Public Health and Sanitation, at the official launch of the centre based at Afya House in Nairobi, yesterday.