Strathmore University has added another lab at its Madaraka Campus which is geared to improve access to healthcare for citizens throughout Kenya.
HP East Africa, in cooperation with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and Kenya’sMinistry of Health (MOH) have developed the lab which will provide faculty and students with technology that can help them design and deploy information systems to support public health delivery— improving access to high-quality healthcare and saving lives.
The HP infrastructure includes software, server racks and all-in-one thin clients that will be used by Strathmore University students to develop web-based solutions that are deployed in hundreds of public health facilities in Kenya.
The solutions will be hosted at MOH headquarters in a data center location that was built and supported by HP.
“We believe that technology can accelerate innovation and research, enabling organizations to increase the positive impact on society,” said Paul Ellingstad, director, Human Progress Initiatives, HP.
“Our partnership with Strathmore University, CHAI and the Ministry of Health illustrates how collaboration among the right partners and the right technology creates more effective and more efficient solutions that improve access to quality healthcare and strengthen health systems. That’s what innovation is all about.”
Among the accomplishments of this collaboration has been the development of the Early Infant Diagnosis of HIV (EID) technology infrastructure, which started in Kenya and has expanded to Malawi, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Nigeria. The project automates the HIV testing process for infants, giving babies a better chance of survival.
By using technology to connect remote clinics, test results can be delivered in days instead of weeks or even months, enabling life-saving treatments to start much earlier—a huge improvement that has the potential to save thousands of lives.The automation of the testing process also provides the Ministry of Health and other governmental agencies with real-time access to medical data, helping improve policy and decision-making.
More than 260,000 infants have been tested in Kenya and Uganda since 2011. Approximately 10 percent of the tested infants were diagnosed as HIV positive and put on antiretroviral treatment immediately.
In addition to providing a technology infrastructure that enables students to create solutions that address other diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis, the new lab also will help students hone their skills and prepare for the future.
“Strathmore University is committed to establishing collaborations that challenge the way students think and help better prepare them for the job market—while at the same time enabling them to deliver cutting-edge solutions that were previously thought to be a preserve of international organizations,” said Dr. George Njenga, deputy vice chancellor, Research and Quality Assurance, Strathmore University.
“Our young people’s potential and skills are equal to any challenge thrown at them, so we must cultivate a culture of excellence and continual improvement. With HP’s commitment, we have access to the best technology to enable innovation.”