Daily Monitor – Medics to Receive ICT Equipment
IN SUMMARY Advantage. Health workers (Medics) to receive ICT Equipment that will enable them to Skype, do a video conference, or use smartphones to make a diagnosis.
Kampala State Minister for Health Elioda Tumwesigye has said he will table before cabinet a motion to purchase information communication technology (ICT) equipment for all health workers.
These will include laptops, iPads, and smartphones so that all health facilities improve on data management and to make health workers IT compliant.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the first-ever 24-hour call center at Protea hotel Kampala on Friday.
The center by The Medical Concierge Group (TMCG) will be offering doctor consultations, ambulance services, and clinic references for people seeking health care.
Dr. Tumwesigye said with the internet widely penetrating the country, it is now possible for health workers in Karamoja to hold a video conference with consultants in Kampala without them necessarily traveling there.
“The day I was sworn in, somebody asked me what I would like to be remembered for in the ministry and I replied that I would like to leave the ministry when it is IT compliant.
In fact, I visited Safaricom and Technoserve in Nairobi recently to look at their technology,” he said on Friday.
He added that most medical workers are from well- todo homes where there are internet and electricity but when they are posted upcountry, they do not find such facilities.
He noted that government can help them acquire the equipment tax-free. “This can be a non-monetary incentive so that instead of going to the library, health workers can skype, video conference, or use smartphones to make a diagnosis,” Dr. Tumwesigye said.
According to Mr. Davis Musinguzi, the proprietor, the call center aims at making health care services affordable and instant through phone calls, text messages, video chats, and social media. Patients can call in and be attended to by professional health workers.
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