In a move expected to help improve access to healthcare for citizens throughout Kenya, HP East Africa has launched an education lab at Strathmore University in cooperation with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and Kenya’s Ministry of Health (MOH).
With software, server racks and all-in-one thin clients from HP, the lab is expected to provide faculty and students with technology that can help them design and deploy information systems to support public health delivery—dramatically improving access to high-quality healthcare and savinglives.
“We believe that technology can accelerate innovation and research, enabling organizations to increase the positive impact on society,” said Paul Ellingstad, director,Human Progress Initiatives, HP. “Our partnership with Strathmore University, CHAI and the Ministry of Health illustrates how collaboration among the right partners and the right technology creates more effective and more efficient solutions that improve access to quality healthcare and strengthen health systems. That’s what innovation is all about.”
The firms say Strathmore University students will use the app to develop web-based solutions which will then be deployed in hundreds of public health facilities in Kenya. MOH headquarters data center also supported by HP will host all th applications for the students. The solutions will be connected to remote clinics, help them test results and enable life-saving treatments and help doctors and nurse have real-time access to medical data, helping improve policy and decision-making.
Earlier, HP helped develop the Early Infant Diagnosis of HIV (EID) technology infrastructure, which started in Kenya and has expanded to Malawi, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Nigeria. The project automates the HIV testing process for infants, giving babies a better chance of survival.
“Programs such as the EID system highlight the positive impact that can be made on global health by rethinking processes and innovating solutions with governments, universities, and NGO partners,” said Charles Kuria, managing director, HP East Africa. “Through this ongoing collaboration, HP and our partners are helping modernize systems and develop technology-based solutions that dramatically expand access to medical professionals, improve care and save lives.”
Last year, IBM launched a research lab in another university in Kenya.