HOMA BAY, Kenya, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Thursday launched two key frameworks aimed at accelerating the nationwide adoption of digital health.
Aden Duale, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Health, launched the five-year Digital Health Agency Strategic Plan and the Certification Framework for Digitization during the ninth Devolution Conference in Homa Bay, western Kenya.
"Digital health must be anchored in a good legal environment supported by political goodwill. Kenya is accelerating the adoption of digital health, and our experience demonstrates that we can deliver a good model for Africa," Duale said.
He noted that digitizing the health system is helping bridge gaps in healthcare access, while also improving transparency and citizen engagement. It has further promoted inclusion and equity by enhancing affordability, gender responsiveness, and access to health services, particularly for persons with disabilities.
Patrick Amoth, director-general for health in the ministry, said 50 percent of Kenya's health facilities are already digitized, with the target of reaching full coverage by the end of the year. Digitization, he added, has made it easier to track and trace patients and to collect health data at both facility and household levels.
Anthony Lenaiyara, chief executive officer of Digital Health Agency, a government body dedicated to digitizing Kenya's health system, noted that up to 50,000 Kenyans are now registering daily for health services from their homes thanks to the digitization drive.
