The Kenyatta National Hospital is introducing a new system that will replace paperwork in a move to improve healthcare delivery in the country’s biggest hospital.
The system will be launched on March 20 under the banner Afya Apex HMIS/ERP and will be in line with the government’s Taifa Care initiative.
A glimpse into what to expect from the system was unveiled during a launch event held on Tuesday, March 17. Speaking during the event, Acting CEO Richard Lesiyampae said that the digital system will be a welcome change for patients as it will reduce waiting times and streamline operations in various departments.
This system will ensure that patient records are easily retrieved, which will help doctors and nurses to react faster to emergencies. Patients will not have to move around with physical records as this system will integrate various departments such as Accident and Emergency, patient registration, laboratory, radiology, and pharmacy.
This system will reduce errors that often come about due to paperwork and will ensure that decisions are made faster by doctors and nurses. In preparation for this system, KNH has received more than 1,200 tablets for staff use and have purchased power banks and extended internet packages to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
This comes at a time when KNH has been facing issues with delays and congestion in the hospital and has also been plagued by issues caused by system failures due to the Social Health Authority in recent weeks. Some patients have been forced to wait for long periods, sometimes for days, especially those undergoing cancer treatment.
Patients have in the past been forced to wait for days in some departments such as cancer treatment wards due to long waiting times.
