How DHA is using technology to connect hospitals and improve patient care
DHA Chief Executive Officer Engineer Anthony Lenaiyara.
In Nairobi, Kenya on October 14, the Digital Health Agency (DHA) announced plans to connect hospitals, patients, health insurers, and medicine suppliers through technology. This integration aims to facilitate secure sharing of medical records and minimize delays in accessing healthcare services. Engineer Anthony Lenaiyara, the DHA's Chief Executive Officer, discussed these plans during an interview on Capital FM.
He emphasized that the system would enable authorized healthcare providers to access patients’ medical histories irrespective of the facility, thus eliminating the need for patients to repeat medical tests when moving between hospitals.
Lenaiyara highlighted the critical importance of safeguarding health information, given its sensitivity and strategic significance for the country. The DHA is committed to ensuring that health data is securely stored, transmitted, and accessed exclusively by authorized users. The agency is tasked with developing and maintaining the Comprehensive Integrated Health Information System and the infrastructure necessary for health information exchange.
By standardizing digital systems across healthcare providers, the DHA aims to reduce paperwork, administrative costs, and waiting times, thereby improving coordination between healthcare facilities, health financing systems, and other providers.
Lenaiyara addressed concerns about access to outpatient services under the Social Health Authority (SHA). He explained that patients should primarily utilize Level 2 to Level 4 facilities for routine outpatient care. Level 5 and Level 6 hospitals should concentrate on more specialized and complex cases. The referral structure is designed to alleviate congestion at higher-level hospitals while ensuring that patients needing specialized or critical care receive the appropriate treatment.
He clarified that while the DHA manages digital infrastructure for health information, the SHA handles health financing under the social health insurance framework. The Digital Health Act of 2023 established the DHA, which will serve as a central player in enhancing healthcare delivery, protecting patient information, and making medical records more portable throughout Kenya's healthcare system.
Written by urgent.news from Capital FM Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
