The government of Kenya , Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Italy and GKSD Healthcare Management and Consulting have signed a deal aimed at upgrading Kenyatta University Teaching Referral and Research Hospital in the telemedicine field to remotely diagnose and treat patients.
The three institutions will develop close cooperation in the fields of cardiovascular disease, heart diseases and heart surgery for adults and children.
According to Health CS Mutahi Kagwe , such partnerships will help enhance ongoing efforts by the government to reform the health sector and related outcomes.
“Such partnerships are necessary as they help improve standards. As a government, we are committed to elevating health services to the highest possible standards” he said.
The partnership will also cover other areas of medical and surgical specialities cooperation such as oncology including surgery, radiotherapy, immunology, general medicine and prevention, rehabilitation, nuclear medicine, genetics, haematology, nuclear medicine and renal care.
The parties have also agreed to set up and develop one or more excellence centres in the country in the areas of medical and surgical specialities cooperation.
They will be required to define the targeted facility and clinical or surgical speciality and detailed development plans in specialised agreements.Any other areas of interest agreed upon by the parties could be added in future to promote and strengthen the collaboration.
The signatories to the MoU are KUTRRH board chairperson Olive Mugenda, acting CEO Ruth Irumbi, Vita Salute San Raffaele University president Dr Paolo Rotelli and Dr Francesco Galli, the vice president of GKSD Healthcare Management.
The health cooperation has expanded to cover cancer with a partnership between KUTRRH, Kisii University and the United Kingdom Institutions of Christie Foundation and the University of Manchester to up-skill cancer treatment specialists.
“The latest development will improve the standard of healthcare in Kenya, through research, workforce training and education of healthcare professionals,” Kagwe said.
“One of the changes we need to make is that when we get into research, we need to have shared benefits once completed. I am convinced we have opportunities in which we can all share in eventual benefits of our research findings.”
He said the programme will initially focus on improving cancer outcomes through early detection, rapid diagnosis and the delivery of high-quality care.