The initiative aims to reduce the number of referrals of sick children
by enabling Samburu County health facilities to have access to specialists.
M-PESA Foundation and Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation today launched their telemedicine initiative, Daktari Smart, in Samburu County.
The programme targets over 32,000 children in Lamu, Samburu, Homabay and
Baringo counties.
It aims to reduce the number of referrals of sick children by allowing County Health facilities to have access to specialists.
“Patients in this County have had to deal with issues of poor infrastructure, leading to late hospital arrivals and sometimes it’s a little too late. This is what Daktari Smart seeks to address. It also seeks to optimise the capacity and reach of healthcare delivery systems by easing access to healthcare services especially for children,” said Karen Basiye, Head of Sustainable Business and Social Impact, Safaricom.
According to the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board, the doctor
to patient ratio in the country currently stands at about one doctor for
every 6,355 people.
This makes it difficult to access a qualified medical professional.
This ratio increases even more when it comes to specialists.
The counties participating in the programme either have one or no
pediatrician at all to treat children.
The initiative will enable doctors in Samburu County to connect with their
counterparts at Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital for specialist medical
advice.
This will reduce patient referrals, save on costs and make
treatments more prompt.
M-PESA Foundation has committed over KES.168 million towards the initiative
while Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation will invest over KES.35 million in the
next 3 years.
“Our mission as Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation is to transform communities
by improving access to quality healthcare services to needy and
disadvantaged children in the country.” said Les Baillie, the Chairman
of Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation.
Additionally, Daktari Smart will also see community health volunteers,
social workers and health workers in the county benefit from training via
video conferencing to build their skill set and capacity.