Kenya is now seeking beyond borders to enhance specialist healthcare and achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) faster.
Health CS Aden Duale held discussions on Friday with Dr. Akbar Waljee, Executive Director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Global Health Equity (CGHE), to discuss ways and means of how the two countries can work together on healthcare issues that directly impact Kenyans.
The discussion focused on how to enhance cancer treatment and how to apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enable early detection of diseases and enhance treatment outcomes. One of the major proposals on the table is the establishment of an AI-in-Health Centre of Excellence at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). The center will be responsible for training Kenyan medical practitioners and health personnel on how to apply advanced data and AI capabilities for enhanced diagnosis and patient care.
CS Duale proposed the establishment of Centres of Excellence in Cardiovascular Care and Sports Medicine.
In addition, the government also hopes to leverage the expertise of CGHE to establish a Policy, Innovation and Reciprocal Learning Institute. This will allow Kenyan health practitioners to benefit from the best practices in the world while also sharing their own knowledge with other nations, especially in Africa.
To ensure that these plans are implemented, the Ministry of Health, KNH, and CGHE will form a joint working group to establish a roadmap with timelines.
The projects will be implemented on top of other initiatives, including the Uzima-DS project worth USD 6.5 million, and will also align with the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and health objectives.
In attendance at the meeting were senior health officials, including Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni, Director-General Patrick Amoth, and KNH Board Chair Dr. Abbas Gullet.
