This was the inspiration behind Kenyandoctor.com, a platform for online medical consultation. The telemedicine concept is rapidly developing and people no longer have to spend long hours queuing to see doctors or keep quiet about those personal ailments.
In this field that the enterprising physician has ventured, audiovisual media can sometimes be used in remote medical procedures, examinations and doctor-to-doctor consultations.
"This is done using qualified and registered medical doctors with vast experience in their respective specialties," says Dr Kibui, 26.
Kenyandoctor.com has a team of over 100 local doctors who directly deal with consultations including specialists who deal with any referrals that may arise.
When the fibre optic cable landed last year, the health sector was not been left behind as e-health takes root.
"The cable means that all sectors will have to embrace ICT to increase efficiency and delivery of services, the health sector included," says the University of Nairobi School of medicine graduate.
In a day, Dr Kibui says, Kenyandoctor.com gets up to 400 visitors, 20 to 40 of whom seek consultation. On the web platform, the company has created a forum for over 300 medical officers, mostly general practitioners located in different parts of the country who interact with patients and discuss cases.
"Doctors now working in remote areas of rural Kenya can discuss difficult medical cases with their colleagues and get consultants' opinions on the cases online," he says. "This goes a long way in increasing the quality of health care given to poor Kenyans."
The interest in developing telemedicine has been mainly due to its ability to save on the cost of healthcare.
The AFRIHealth Conference held in Nairobi this year brought together researchers, medical practitioners and ICT personnel to share information on developments in the use of technology to improve healthcare delivery on the continent.
Currently, the company uses an aspect of telemedicine known as "store and forward", which means patients send in their queries, which are then disseminated to the right experts for response.
"We plan to upgrade to a more advanced aspect referred to as interactive services, which will provide real-time interactions between patient and doctors capturing audio and visual elements," he said in an interview.
The wide range of medical practitioners with accounts on the site is what he uses to generate income through advertising.
"Pharmaceutical companies have found a direct platform to advertise their products making it our main income generator," he says.
Besides, a consultation fee is charged on patients before they can get feedback on their questions.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Winfred Kagwe
Quelle/Source: AllAfrica, 08.11.2010
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