The world is rapidly digitizing and almost every industry is going electronic; e-Commerce, e-Procurement, e-Banking, e-Accounting…etc. The Healthcare industry has not been left behind.
e-Health is the use of Information Technology & Communication to advance health delivery services. This relatively new term is catching up like wild fire particularly when the developing countries are target and priority.
As a developing nation, we cannot ignore this new phenomenon that is bound to raise the stakes in the delivery of our health care services.
e-Health is many things; it is accessing electronic clinical information at a click of a button, it is being able to refer a patient to another hospital for diagnosis and treatment without him having to be there physically, it is also described as the use of using electronic and portable gadgets like phones to collect data as in a field study thereby efficiently connecting different departments in a hospital for a seamless flow of information, it is developing and creating software that will promote health in the industry…it is many things.
Beyond our borders, other countries are proving to be a step ahead in terms of e-health. They have openly accepted ICT in their health industries providing a strong foundation for e-health growth. Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania are good examples of countries that are already on the map for extensive e-health reforms.
We are lagging due to the many bureaucracies involved in transforming our industries. The reluctance to adopt change also weighs down heavily on our reform agendas especially in issues pertaining to health. However the twin ministries of Health in Kenya have taken a bold step forward in this area by establishing an eHealth Division headed by Dr. Esther Arthur-Ogara, to spearhead the use of ICT in our health sector.
