NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya is taking decisive action to put itself at the forefront of this technological wave in the current digital era when artificial intelligence (AI) is changing economies and societies worldwide.
However, concerns have been raised over the new laws and policies that would facilitate this change as Kenya works towards taking significant action to address the rapidly changing environment brought about by this development.
The Kenyan government has already begun a consultation to develop a national AI strategy in the healthcare sector. The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) and Qhala, headed by the Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy, are two partners supporting the effort.
This shows how committed the Kenyan government is to providing strategic guidance for the development, adoption, use, and ethically and responsibly responsible use of AI in the country’s healthcare sector.
How to uncover the governance issues for the deployment of AI
Already, a Town Hall held on Friday, September 6, 2024, that brought together key stakeholders from the health sector, including medical practitioners, policymakers, tech professionals, and civil society representatives, sought to address some of these concerns.
A session moderated by Dr Fred Mutisya sought to uncover the governance issues and enabling environment required for the deployment of AI within the healthcare sector.
“There should be a liability (shared responsibility), governance of the data and policy partnerships that would be involved in adopting AI in the healthcare sector, a critical sector in our country,” Dr Mutisya explained.
The discussions throughout the engagements focused on how artificial intelligence (AI) can improve healthcare outcomes, reduce health inequities, and accelerate medical innovation.
What the adoption of AI means to the Kenyan public
Mary Kirema, the Secretary for E-government and the Digital Economy observed that every Kenyan citizen should have a national identity card as a unique identifier when seeking treatment in any medical facility.
“Once we finish working on this integration, we shall combine all the datasets to align with everyone’s ID number. But again, to achieve all these, let me remind the private sector that it needs to engage the government of the day in all its plans. There is no shortcut about it,” said Kirema.
Dr Dennis Okaka used his session to uncover how the impact of an AI-enabled environment upon the application of AI within the healthcare sector will benefit businesses, citizens, the economy, Kenyan society, jobs, and service delivery, among others.
For her part, Dr Jeanette Dawa sought to explore AI’s potential in addressing future exuberant health inequalities and how this can be included in Kenya’s National AI Healthcare Sector Strategy.
Why AI integration is key in advancing Kenya’s healthcare technology
Against this backdrop, the Town Hall heard that AI integration is needed, where everyone’s voices are brought on board to understand it more simply.
“We need to have our client’s end user in mind. Let’s not create this for ourselves but ensure that even our grassroots and other far-flung clients understand the AI tools. They should be user-friendly.”
This even as it emerged that there is a severe scarcity of healthcare professionals in Kenya, the economic powerhouse of East Africa, with only one doctor for every 5,200 patients.
This shortfall emphasises how urgently the healthcare industry needs creative solutions.
The participants of the Town Hall noted that doctors must constantly adjust to new developments in technology and therapeutic techniques and incorporate them into their practices. This expansion requires embracing technology, especially AI.
It is worth noting that the event’s outcomes will significantly influence the formation of the National AI Healthcare Sector Strategy.
As it worked to design the ambitious plan, the government, alongside its partners, hosted this Town Hall as the first of many.
