How new app will solve Uganda's healthcare challenges

Mr Siddhartha Ray, the business development manager of Healthcare Practices

What you need to know:

  • An EMR is a systematized collection of patient and population electronically-stored health information in a digital format.

Modern technologies and digital services are not only changing the way we communicate; they are also offering innovative ways for improving healthcare.
Healthcare delivery may be challenging if viable provisions are not in place. To ensure health and wellbeing across the country, it needs a thriving and stable health practice.
It against this background that Technology Associates (TA) has developed a customized Kranium Healthcare; a comprehensive, modular and integrated Information Management System (HMIS) and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) for healthcare establishments that is going to address all critical areas of healthcare practices in Uganda.

The technological advancement was first adopted by Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital in Kenya way back in 2010.
By that time, the largest paediatric hospital in East and Central Africa had only five outpatient clinics and due to improved services after embracing Kranium healthcare, the hospital now has more than 15 clinics across the country.

Mr Siddhartha Ray, the business development manager of Healthcare Practices, says the paperless system saves time and money, increases accountability and efficiency through automating processes in a health facility.
After becoming a success with Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, the system was later adopted by other hospitals like St Francis Hospital, Kasarani, M.P Shah Hospital Nairobi, Tenwek Hospital Bomet, and the largest privately-owned hospital in East Africa, The Nairobi Hospital, among others.

In 2015, TA decided to cater for small health providers by introducing a standardized Public Cloud of Kranium, where smaller health facilities subscribe to the system and pay a monthly fee for usage. Today, hospitals like Meridian Equator Hospital and 15 Meridian Medical Centers run their complete operations from The Kranium Cloud.
“Cloud model is the future of the countries healthcare service delivery,” anticipated Mr Ray.
Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of compute power, database storage, applications, and other IT resources through a cloud services platform via the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing, according to Amazon Web Services.

Introduction of Kranium Healthcare system in Uganda

Mr Ray revealed that they are working closely with some of the prominent health facilities in the country.
“In the next couple of weeks, we shall be kicking off the implementation of Kranium Healthcare System for one of the health facility in Kampala,” he noted.
Mr. Ray further said with such a system, the management’s vision for Quality Health Delivery will be achieved.

“Healthcare is frustrated by accountability issues, poor service delivery, and time wastage as well poor record keeping for patients. Kranium is here to solve all those anxieties,” he said.
Adding,” Uganda as a country, we are still on a basic level of healthcare delivery; while in hospital patients are not sure of where to go for a particular treatment, where to find the necessary drugs just to mention but a few.”

Data Security
Mr. Ray says the Kranium Healthcare System was built on a strong security platform and that patients’ data is secured legally and technically.
“At TA, data security is paramount. We endeavor to protect our clients through our strict policy terms,”

System helps to track drug stocks
Mr Ray said since Kranium Healthcare System contains an EMR, it will be very easy for Uganda Government to maintain and track public health information to deliver seamless healthcare, improve public health and control cost across the country.
An EMR is a systematized collection of patient and population electronically-stored health information in a digital format.
However, he said in order to achieve this, government needs to first adopt a centralized Public Identification Database.