[kictanet] Of Vision 2030 and Misplaced Priorities
Barrack Otieno
otieno.barrack at gmail.com
Sat Jun 4 15:52:53 EAT 2011
This is impressive Maureen, I guess the next phase is how to implement
the initiatives locally, maybe you could link up with one of the
Telcos speaheading mhealth and the Ministry of Health, I wonder if the
MOH policy mentions how such projects can be implemented or whether
they have any frameworks for PPP.
On 6/4/11, Maureen Muthua <MAUREENM at ke.ibm.com> wrote:
> Dear Listers,
>
> Please see below a few examples of e-health projects in Africa which IBM
> has helped implement. Most of them are through public private
> partnerships. The technology exists and probably the question is how to we
> assist the government to implement such solutions in Kenya.
>
> 'SMS for Life' project by IBM, Novartis and Vodafone in Tanzania
>
> THE PROBLEM:
> Malaria causes nearly one million deaths in Africa each year, mostly
> among pregnant women and young children, and many people die because
> they simply lack quick access to vital medication.
>
> THE INNOVATION:
> A new solution developed by IBM ,Novartis and Vodafone with the Roll
> Back Malaria Partnership, is helping to save lives using everyday
> technology to improve the availability of anti-malarial drugs in remote
> areas of Tanzania
> Called "SMS for Life," the initiative uses a combination of mobile
> phones, SMS (Short Messaging Service) technologies and intuitive web
> sites to track and manage the supply of Artemisinin-based Combination
> Therapy (ACT) drugs and Quinine injectables, both of which are key to
> reducing the number of deaths from malaria.
>
> RESULTS
> During the first few weeks of the pilot, the number of health facilities
> with stock-outs in one district alone, was reduced by over 75%
> The early success of the SMS for Life pilot project has the Tanzanian
> authorities interested in implementing the solution across the rest of
> the country.
>
> Project Hope and Comfort - in Cross River State, Nigeria
>
> THE PROBLEM:
> Cross River State suffers from some of the worst child and infant
> mortality rates in the African region – many from preventable, treatable
> causes.
> 250 out of every 1000 children in the state die before reaching the age
> of five.
> Two-thousand out of every 100,000 women die during child birth.
>
> INNOVATION
> Projects Hope and Comfort depend on the mass registration of citizens
> for free healthcare and financial support
> Working with government departments, healthcare workers and local IBM
> business partner, they have been able to bring to bear IBM's global
> expertise in advanced technologies such as biometric identification
> systems and solar energy to increase the efficiency, reliability,
> accuracy of the systems.
>
> THE OUTCOME:
> To date, around 130,000 mothers and children have registered to receive
> free healthcare through project Hope and another 5,600 families have
> registered for financial support through project Comfort.
> Goal to reduce child and maternal mortality rates by 50% by the end of
> 2011 and halve the number of people living in abject poverty by 2015.
>
> Kind Regards
>
>
>
>
>
> Maureen Muthua 2nd Floor, Africa Re Center
> (Embedded
>
> image moved
>
> to file:
>
> pic13234.gif)
>
> Territory Hospital Rd, Upper Hill, P.O.
>
> Marketing and Box 35475 00200
>
> Communications
>
> Manager
>
>
> IBM East Nairobi, KENYA
>
> Africa
>
>
> Phone: +254 20 2834 000
>
>
> Mobile: +254 722 740 884
>
>
> e-mail: maureenm at ke.ibm.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> From: "Victor Gathara" <vgathara at vimak.co.ke>
>
>
> To: Maureen Muthua/Kenya/IBM at IBMZA
>
>
> Cc: "'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions'"
> <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>
>
> Date: 2011/06/03 02:54 PM
>
>
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Of Vision 2030 and Misplaced Priorities
>
>
> Sent by: kictanet-bounces+maureenm=ke.ibm.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> While in DFiD I got involved in a project with WHO to help MOMS come up
> with a eHealth strategy. Sad to have left without seeing the final document
> but I basically came to question the level of buy in from government for
> this. A couple of years ago an AfriHealth conference basically concluded
> that there was a lot of silo working and ‘pilotitis’ in this field.
>
> It would be good to see whether the strategy was ever completed and
> launched. I believe a lister led in drafting it. There is a lot that can be
> done with IT in health if the will is there but you need the structures in
> place first.
>
> Victor
>
> From: kictanet-bounces+vgathara=vimak.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke [
> mailto:kictanet-bounces+vgathara=vimak.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On
> Behalf Of Edith Adera
> Sent: 02 June 2011 22:29
> To: vgathara at vimak.co.ke
> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Of Vision 2030 and Misplaced Priorities
>
> 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
> thatyou can die justbecause you are poor and not because there's no
> treatment for your illness.
>
> In his recent experience with cancer,
> Hon. Anyang Nyongodrovethis 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 thathave 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 Africaetc
>
> 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 | www.idrc.ca | 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.afriregister.bi, www.afriregister.com
> ICANN accredited registrar
> +254721325277
> +254-20-2498789
> Skype: barrack.otieno
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--
Sent from my mobile device
Barrack O. Otieno
Afriregister Ltd (Kenya)
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