Kenya has enacted new health laws, among them a Digital Health Act, 2023, which provides for the establishment of an integrated telemedicine and m-health system.
This system also addresses the need for interoperability among health systems and devices and includes measures to ensure data accessibility, security, privacy, accuracy, accessibility and ownership within the healthcare system.
Kenya’s President, William Ruto, said, during a speech to mark 60 years of Kenyan independence, that his team identifies digitisation as a pillar for the health sector.
According to news resource ITWeb Africa, he pointed out that the country’s health sector has made steady progress in digital technology transformation. However, the adoption of technology has been uncoordinated.
This, he said, was characterised by fragmented implementation of technologies, with health sector actors not adhering to basic digital health standards, guidelines, recommendations and digital development principles.
Thus, the Digital Health Act provides the legal basis for the development of a comprehensive and integrated health information system. These systems will, it is claimed, enable end-to-end visibility of health processes and seamless sharing and portability of information that will enhance health service delivery and improve efficient use of resources.
Since Ruto became president in September 2022 there has been a stronger focus on technology. The Kenyan government has digitised a wide range of government services. In fact citizens may now access over 5,000 government services online through the recently improved e-Citizen portal.
