Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

KMF Mobile Telemedicine Clinics Project

last updated Dec 14, 2011

Overview

Implementing organization: 
Kalonzo Musyoka Foundation
Implementation Partner(s): 
Ministry of Medical Services & Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation
Legal Status: 
Public-private partnership
Year Launched: 
2010
Stage: 
Pilot/startup stage
Income Level of Target Population: 
Bottom 20%, 20-60% (lower to lower-middle)

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Donor
Additional Source(s) of Funding: 
In-kind contributions, Out-of-pocket payments

Technology

Technology Used: 
Computer › Internet
Technology Purpose: 
Extending Geographic Access, Improving Diagnosis and Treatment
Technology Partner(s): 
Local Telecommunication companies

Scale

Personnel Employed: 
10-49
Number of Clients Served: 
>14,400
Summary: 

The Mobile Telemedicine Clinic Project utilizes satellite communications to connect medical staff running a mobile clinic in rural areas of Kenya with specialized doctors in urban areas.

Program goals/rationale: 

The lack of primary healthcare available to rural communities in many parts of Kenya is in general due to the poor infrastructure of these places. It makes it impossible to retain doctors in villages, who feel that they will become professionally isolated and outdated if stationed in remote areas. In addition to this issue, the common challenges in these regions include geographical isolation of some rural communities which lack of enough health centers (local clinics and regional hospitals) and other related resources. This is compounded by the low income or no income at all for the patients who have poor access to relevant health information and limited medical supplies and services.

Key program components: 

The project utilizes email communication via satellite, between Mobile Telemedicine Clinics on the ground and doctors based remotely. This system will allow these doctors to offer on-going diagnostic assistance when required, to Kenyan clinic staff who will travel between a number of local sites in four wheel drive vehicles specifically equipped for the purpose, setting up temporary clinics for several days at a time.

The project utilizes modern technology that can cope with challenging environments, to make it possible to offer free doctor–supported primary healthcare to remote, underserved areas of Kenya and eventually other parts of Africa. These consultations are based on text and image clinical documents composed by health workers and are then emailed to physicians.

After the pilot project, KMF intends to launch other facilities of the same nature to serve other provinces in Kenya in the next five years after which will factor other categories for the project sustainability.

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