NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, September 27, 2013

Access to healthcare has been a challenge to many Kenyans, particularly those in remote areas which do not attract specialised doctors.

It is not uncommon to see people travelling for long distances to access quality healthcare, spending a lot of time and money in the process.

To help solve this problem, Dr Emily Obwaka, a medic, has made advocating for the use of telemedicine in both public and private hospitals her mission.

“While practising in different areas of the country over the years, I realised that the poorest people were the least favoured when it came to healthcare since most specialised doctors like cardiologists and radiologists are found in large towns or outside the country,” she said.

For her, just as devolution is a response to counties that have been forgotten over the years, telemedicine is the answer to inaccessible quality healthcare.

Dactari Health Ltd, the company Dr Obwaka works for, has developed an application called Afya Telemedicine which could see the country overcome impediments to achieving quality healthcare for all.

“Telemedicine is the future of medicine because it provides you with access to quality healthcare at a distance with the use of video conferencing and peripheral diagnostic tools that a doctor would normally use in person,” she explained.