NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 3 – Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has assured the Senate that the Digital Health Act will revolutionize Kenya’s healthcare sector by leveraging advanced technology to support the rollout of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
Appearing before the Senate delegated legislation committee, CS Duale emphasized that the new regulations will improve service delivery, enhance efficiency, and eliminate fraudulent practices in the health sector.
He submitted before the Tharaka Nithi Senator Mwenda Gataya led committee that the draft regulations will streamline service delivery to ensure Taifa Care is successfully implemented.
“The regulations on the Digital Health Act will enable the implementation of UHC. It will have an enabled system to root out quacks and fake health facilities,” he stated.
The Health Cabinet Secretary pointed out that the law is designed to streamline healthcare operations through a digital framework that ensures accountability and efficiency.
The act introduces a digital superhighway system which will track medicines from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA)as well as the Pharmacy and Poisons Board to eliminate counterfeit drugs.
“This Digital Health Act will help us track medicines from KEMSA. The system is linked to the Pharmacy and Poisons Board and will, therefore, stem out the issue of fake drugs,” Duale explained.
Additionally, the digital health act seek to correct past inefficiencies in the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), where Level 4 hospitals previously provided services meant for Level 6 hospitals.
The new system will enhance proper service allocation and healthcare delivery across different levels.
CS Duale highlighted corruption as a major challenge in the health sector and reiterated the need for strict oversight to protect citizens’ health.
“Corruption has permeated everywhere, including the health sector. We must protect the health of our citizens,” he noted.
CS Duale allayed fears that the health data will be compromised outlining measures to safeguard sensitive health data.
He assured that the system complies with the Data Protection Act 2019 and that data security will be a continuous process.
“The data on the system will be protected under the Data Protection Act 2019. Data security is a continuous process,” he stated.
Duale dismissed speculation that private or foreign vendors would be involved in managing the system, asserting that the government will fully control its implementation.
“There are no vendors coming on the digital system; it will be handled by the government and no other foreign entity,” he stated.
He further stressed the importance of maintaining Kenya’s sovereignty over its health data.
“We can’t give health data to foreign entities. This is a measure we are taking to protect our data,” he assured.
Source: capitalfm
