Private hospitals get boost from Amazon Web Services
Acting Director General of Health Dr Patrick Amoth (left) and Social Health Authority (SHA) chairman Dr Timothy Olweny unveil the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (Rupha) logo during the lobby group's annual convention in Nairobi on March 21, 2024.
The Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association (Rupha) has received Sh3.7 million ($28,700) in promotional credits from American technology firm Amazon Web Services (AWS) to advance healthcare accessibility.
Promotional credits are support provided by AWS to enable developers to use Amazon's infrastructure to create digital technologies.
The funding, supported by AWS Health Equity Initiative, will be used to enhance RuphaSoft, the unified hospital management information system (HMIS).
This will involve expanding its cloud infrastructure to ensure a secure and scalable platform for innovative healthcare solutions tailored to the unique needs of medically underserved communities. The HMIS modules cover essential services such as outpatient care, inpatient care, laboratory services, pharmaceutical services, and accounting.
The AWS Health Equity Initiative is a three-year, $60 million commitment to support organisations that develop solutions to advance health equity.
Brian Lishenga, chairman of Rupha, said the platform will be provided free of charge to the association's 400 members.
"Rupha is committed to ensuring that even the remotest private health facilities in Kenya contribute to the Kenya Health Information Exchange, a vital aspect of the Kenya Digital Superhighway project," said Dr Lishenga.
