Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

To combat the spread of Covid-19, the government has launched a Computed Tomography (CT) scan centre of excellence interfaced with Artificial Intelligence Software dubbed Golden Eye used to detect the deadly virus.

The centre will be located at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

The technology, the first of its kind in Africa, makes Kenya the second country globally to embrace the machine first developed in Wuhan, China, and successfully used to detect and help in monitoring progress of Covid-19 patients.

In Wuhan, the first epicentre of Covid-19, the technology aided in early detection of the virus, yielding positive and promising results.

Speaking during the launch of the initiative, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe termed the technology a game-changer in Kenya’s healthcare.

Healthcare providers

Kagwe said the platform will enable patients and healthcare providers to interact with health experts at Kenya’s main referral hospital, KNH, using video conferencing.

The technology is connected to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), the country’s second referral hospital. It will also be connected to facilities in China’s Wuhan and Beijing cities, France, Egypt and at least 37 counties.

Some of the hospitals with already operational CT centres include King Fahad Hospital in Lamu, Kakamega County Referral Hospital, Thika Level Five Hospital, Iten County Referral Hospital (Elgeyo Marakwet), Narok County Referral Hospital and Voi Level  Five Hospital in Taita Taveta.

China embassy in Nairobi and Neosoft offered the software solution for free.

 “Through this technology we have been able to witness realities, that instead of sending a radiologist to every county across the country, in the 37 counties, for instance we are communicating CT scans in those counties can be interpreted at this national centre by two or three radiologists,” CS Kagwe told journalists.

“You can see the efficiency and gains in terms of human capital, we can achieve through use of technology,” he added.

Technology assisted

The CS said the country’s healthcare will be premised on technology insisting that the launch of the facility was such an example.

In yesterday’s demonstrations, the CS, Chinese officials, other government officials and the media, witnessed how the CT scans can be read by at least 10 radiologists across the world with report and images being interpreted real time.

“Very quickly, we are going to have major operations being done in Kenya by local doctors with others in Wuhan China, Paris, UK and US,” said the CS.

This, he added will reduce trouble for Kenyans who have been travelling abroad for treatment

“We will bring the doctors to the screens instead of taking the patient to overseas, this is what technology can do for us,” he held.

On his part, KNH chairman board of management Nicholas Gumbo said the technology will enable healthcare workers to share information real time.

  Gumbo added that nothing is being left to chance in combating and defeating the Covid-19.

Should it be a success, he said, Kenya would be the first country in Africa to have put all its available resources in an effort to curb global scourge and supplement other pioneer efforts been made by the government.

The CT Scan centre will provide imaging diagnostics of various medical ailments, routine checks, emergencies and teaching.

The KNH national data centre will serve as a centre of excellence housing CT machines and other supportive equipment including radiologists interfaced with counties in interpreting TC and MRI images.

So far, the government has installed CT scan machines in close to 20 counties, lifting the heavy burden of treatment off the shoulders of poor families under one of the Big Four delivery pillars of the Universal Health Coverage.

Among the state-of-the-art machines fitted are automatic generator as power back-up, an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), cloud imaging devices, laser and thermol printers.