eHealth Policy

Kenya Healthcare Federation(KHF) contrives on enhancing the eHealth Policy

The ICT and mobile health committee held it’s quarterly meeting on 9th October 2018 at KHF Board Room to discuss the ministry of health(MoH)  eHealth policy document being discussed as the key agenda. On eHealth policy, document that is being reviewed by the committee. From the document, the issues of data exchange is addressed mainly under “health infrastructure” and not under “health information,” the Policy does not specify or make a proposition about which of the 10 different ‘orientations’ of the eHealth policy is most relevant to the private sector, and where the industry is expected/invited to be involved and provide support, Kenya Health Architecture; It is not quite clear who the target users of the document are, with regards to the private sector, a challenge in the private sector is the issue that emerging technology often remains unregulated (e.g. MyDawa experience).

ICT and Mobile Health Committee meeting at Kenya Healthcare Federation offices during the quarterly meeting

The Health Information Interagency Committee (ICC) is the highest committee in charge of coordinating health information related issues at the Ministry of Health and involving partners. For private sector players (health service providers, medical insurance providers, IT providers and others), more specific and strict regulation “with teeth” may be required. The policy documents presented appear relatively vague and high-level, and as such do not provide clear guidance or binding rules for the private sector, The engagement of the government with the private sector (with regards to health information and data exchange) should be more systematic; communication with individual companies – who do not have a mandate to share information with others – or with the top-level leadership of KHF alone may not lead to the desired outcome of a  broad-level dissemination of messages and a two-way communication with broad representation from the various private health sub-sectors.

There is an interest of private sector players to participate/provide input in the development of indicators in the national health information systems, so that issues that affect the private sector more can also be captured and reported. The current practice appears to be that indicators for the national health information system are discussed by the government and international partners without involvement of private sector.

The committee is also reviewing two documents namely: Standards and guidelines for mHEALTH, the WHO classification of digital health systems (2018) and the standards and guidelines for Electronic Medical Record Systems in Kenya (2010).The committee has also formed a PPP subcommittee who held their first meeting on 6th September 2018 at HUAWEI Technologies to outline PPP issues within ICT health sector. This subcommittee has also met Mr. Anthony Okoth, Chair of KHF’s main PPP committee to align the KHF’s PPP agenda for onward presentation to Ministerial Stakeholder Forum and Presidential Round Table.

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