[kictanet] Of Vision 2030 and Misplaced Priorities

[Edith Adera]

Very sad indeed!

I was faced with the same problem in March and the poor lady died right before our eyes - her relatives called me when it was too late and they did not have a cent to take her to hospital, so they feared even going there without money! I was surprised to learn that even Kenyatta hospital does not take any patient without money!

I was so sad to face the reality that you can die just because you are poor and not because there's no treatment for your illness.

In his recent experience with cancer, Hon. Anyang Nyongo drove this point home! BUT - if a Minister for Health can say this, what chance does a mere mortal have to live?

There are many examples of eHealth initiatives that have saved lives e.g. Uganda Health information Network, Mozambique Health Information Network, pulsa plus HIV/AIDs project in South Africa using cellphones, cell life in South Africa etc

Edith
________________
Edith Ofwona Adera
Senior Program Specialist
ICT4D Program and Climate Change & Water Program
International Development Research Centre | Centre de recherches pour le développement international
Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa
Tel: +254202713160 | Fax/Téléc: +254202711063 | Skype: edithadera
eadera at idrc.or.ke<mailto:eadera at idrc.or.ke> | www.idrc.ca<http://www.idrc.ca/> | www.crdi.ca<http://www.crdi.ca/>
________________________________
From: kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke [kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Barrack Otieno [otieno.barrack at gmail.com]
Sent: 02 June 2011 13:22
To: Edith Adera
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: [kictanet] Of Vision 2030 and Misplaced Priorities

Dear Listers,

I wonder whether i have used the right title for this post. I have had an interesting month and i thought i should share some of my experiences from the Bundus and the City as well. Three weeks ago i visit Ebuyangu Village somewhere between Gem and Emuhaya to look for my childhood football coach, while combing the area i meet one resident by the name Harambee who gleefully agrees to help me find my former coach. I asked him some of the challenges they are facing and was taken aback by his answer 'Watu wanakufa sana, sijui ni nini' (Translated There are too many deaths, i don't know what is happening) I tried squeezing more information from him and realised the problem is Malaria and waterbone diseases (of course there is River Yala in the hood), it is common knowledge that this are Malaria prone areas and many of us who hail from the region take preventive measures before travelling but it appears this information is simply not readily available to the villages, how can we prevent this unnecessary and avoidable deaths through ICT? do we have developement partners and or government agencies prepared to invest in e-health initiatives that will reverse this trends? or better still are all this noble initiatives and flagship projects targeting Nairobians (where the real Kenya is?) no wonder everyone is fleeing the countryside to be close to the city, we might end up building Malili Technolopolis and lack customers for the same as has been the case in the past, it is good we are boasting and fighting about Mobile money, 3G and the rest which is good but i guess the greatest wealth a nation can ever have are healthy citizens.

On 1st of June i find myself in another weird situation involving health facilities we have an emergency case which several health Facilities say they cannot handle but instead of advising on what we should do they advise us to run around and look for options, the saddest bit is this are respected health facilities that have 'professional' Doctors and Nurses, to cut the long story, proffessionals hoarding information on what we should do so that we can do something (what a shame on this great republic), i was left wondering where does the poor man go, he may as well just die in his little hut because he doesn't know what to do. When i looked at the bill and compared it to the service rendered your guess is as good as mine.

I wonder whether its a high time we channeled the same effort and investment we have made in Mobile Money, BPOs and Fibre into Electronic Health, anyone with successfull case studies to start us off, othewise we might all be swept away by an epidemic before we Vision 2030 materialises.

--
Barrack O. Otieno
Afriregister Ltd (Kenya)
www.afrire<http://www.afriregister.com>gister.bi<http://gister.bi>, www.afriregister.com<http://www.afriergister.com>
<http://www.afriregister.com>ICANN accredited registrar
+254721325277
+254-20-2498789
Skype: barrack.otieno

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