Medical Services Principal Secretary (PS), Dr. Ouma Oluga, has launched a digitisation health transformation drive for the healthcare system in Migori to improve county medicare service delivery operations.
Dr. Oluga who spoke at the Migori County referral hospital, said that the digitisation drive dubbed Taifa Care across the 177 health facilities will transform the healthcare system in the area and enable consulted fragment data records and reduce time wastage in terms of service delivery.
The government will be digitising all health services across the country through a comprehensive Integrated Health Information System, aimed at digitising patient-level digital records, interoperable facility data and real-time visibility of service delivery.
The programme will also include track-and-trace technology for medicines to eliminate diversion and counterfeit drugs.
Migori County was included in the first phase of the digital health transformation programme that also includes 24 counties to improve the Universal Health Coverage (UHC), with the rollout of the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The Ministry of Health also issued 750 gadgets (desktops and laptops) to community healthcare workers that will be working on the 177 healthcare facilities in the county to support the digitisation of health insurance claims, including claim submission.
These devices, preloaded with Taifa Care applications, will facilitate real-time access to all patient data, improve service delivery, and ensure seamless data flow across the health system.
Oluga, however, urged the residents of Migori to register for SHA to reduce the burden of accessing health care services in various government and private hospitals.
He called upon the county leadership and community health care workers right from the grassroots level to champion the drive to improve the county statistics on SHA registration that currently stands at 40 percent.
The PS also confirmed that the national government in partnership with Migori County will help improve healthcare facilities across the county to provide quality services.
Oluga said the impending confirmation of the Universal Health Care Workers (UHC) on a Permanent and Pensionable (PnP) term will boost the morale of the healthcare workers in the country to provide quality healthcare services to citizens.
The PS also disclosed that since October 2024 Migori County has received Sh1.9 billion in terms of Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) claims, with the public hospitals in Migori claiming Sh161 million.
“We have to ensure that our public hospitals are registered on the SHA portal and digitised to ensure the SHA claims benefit public hospitals more to improve their infrastructure and health equipment,” noted Oluga.
The PS also disclosed that the Ministry of Health has developed a SHA Rapid Results Employer Compliance Initiative to enhance compliance with the social health insurance act and recover significant arrears from formal sector employers.
“We have so far identified 44,000 employers that are not remitting their employee’s SHIF funds, affirming that soon the law will catch up with them,” noted Ogula.
However, the PS urged community health workers to utilise the issued gadgets effectively and help the county to boost its SHA registration drive, adding that health workers are the backbone of making the digitisation process a success.
Some 422 Community Health Care Workers have been trained on the digitisation process to help the county implement the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) with the rollout of the Social Health Authority (SHA) registration drive.
SHA CEO Dr. Mercy Mwangangi urged the community health care workers to be on duty and prioritize care first to ensure the county residents receive the best quality care services.
She explained that residents can register for SHA and pay upfront for four months before paying monthly to ensure they enjoy health care services.
Mwangangi, however, called upon the health workers, the health department and the political class to educate the public on the importance of having SHA.
Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko explained that health security is a major aspect of making sure the country can generate economic resources.
Ochilo said that his administration will continue engaging with the national government to make sure health care services reach individuals at the grassroots level.
He, however, called upon the residents to be loyal contributors to the SHA platform to make the healthcare system a success.
By Makokha Khaoya
