Why digital health is just what the doctor ordered
By People.Reporter, December 21, 2022Medics and health institutions should up their game and adapt new technologies to assist them provide innovative services to patients.
Dr Moka Lantum, CEO of Checkup Medical Hub in Nairobi, says there is an urgent need for broad adoption of advances in technology in the country’s public health systems.
“Public health systems are yet to adopt teleconsultations or home care. Their policies should identify teleconsultation as a safe form of care. Hence, persons relying on public systems still must walk to the hospital or clinic for care,” he says.
He adds that electronic medical records are so far not widely adopted. “Access to medical information and portability of information between institutions remains a challenge for persons seeking care in public facilities,” he added.
President William Ruto said recently that Kenya would employ technology to roll out the Universal Health Care (UHC) programme. He spoke when he met the Africa Director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Cheikh Oumar Seydi, at State House, Nairobi.
Ruto said technology would ensure efficiency, stop pilferage and secure access to healthcare for all Kenyans, especially those at the bottom of the wealth pyramid. “UHC is a top priority. We need to reconfigure how we deliver health services, and technology is the solution,” he stated.
And in what has become a rallying call for medics, the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Susan Nakhumicha, has challenged Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) to integrate digital processes in their operations to facilitate interface and integration of remote facilities.
Speaking during a tour of the hospital in November, she said the move would ensure that lower-level health facilities benefit from specialists domiciled at the referral facility.
According to Dr Lantum, healthcare at the convenience of your home or work is no longer a luxury for the rich. “It’s now possible to get quality affordable medical care at home simply by calling or texting,” he said.
He said doctors are increasingly required to make diagnoses over the phone or computer. This requires a systems approach to patient evaluation and assessment to ensure accurate diagnostics. “Doctors have to understand a broad range of over 3,000 medications available in the market. For example, there are over 100 types of medication that are on the market for hypertension. It’s no longer about memorising the essential drug list with 140 items as it was 20 years ago,” he cautioned.
Doctor on call
The doctor was speaking on the sidelines of the Jamhuri Tech Innovation Summit held recently at Sarit Centre in Nairobi. During the event, CheckUps was recognised as a disruptive innovation that takes healthcare to the masses. Its mobile health bus was visited by President Ruto.
CheckUps has introduced Urgent Care and Dispatch medical services, where highly trained nurses working with doctors and laboratory technicians are stationed in clinics to ensure timely and affordable care at home. “Our subscription dubbed Cova offers unlimited consultations, mobile lab tests for essential tests and diagnostics, and access to medicines at discounted prices,” Dr Lantum said.
Established in 2018 and employing 120 full-time and part-time staff, Checkup Medical Hub runs four care centres in Nairobi targeting people who need medical care while at work. They are located in Upper Hill, Lusaka Road, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and EPZ Athi River.
“Urgent Care is an outpatient service that responds to common illness (cough and colds, fever, runny stomachs, skin diseases, sexual and reproductive tract infections, headaches, hypertension and diabetes) that account for over 80 per cent of visits to hospitals, clinics or chemists.
In contrast, dispatch medicine is a nurse-driven model of care whereby a nurse equipped with essential equipment and supplies goes to the patients’ home or workplace. The nurse takes note of the vitals, documents the complaints and then connects the patient to a doctor via a video call for further guidance.