By Lorraine Anyango.

Dr. Richard Lesiyampe, CEO of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), officially closed the inaugural Lake Region Digital Health Conference, a joint initiative of Kisumu County and Homabay County.

The conference, themed “Harnessing Technology for Inclusive UHC: Innovating, Integrating, and Elevating Digital Health,” brought together stakeholders and partners working at the intersection of digital health solutions. Dr. Gregory Ganda, CECM Health Medical Services and Public Health, and chair of the Health Committee in LREB, led the conference team in organizing forums that focused on discussing case studies and exploring how counties are leveraging digitization to enhance care, improve data management, and streamline operations in primary healthcare settings.

The two-day conference delved into the integration of digital solutions into Kenya’s Universal Health Care (UHC) agenda. Participants explored the potential of digital health to improve access, quality, and efficiency of healthcare services while ensuring inclusivity.

The conference highlighted the significant role of community health workers in advancing digital health. Dedicated sessions focused on digitizing community health for better outcomes, providing a platform for CHPs to share their experiences with the digital tools they are using.

Dr. Lesiyampe emphasized the strides JOOTRH has made in employing digital health innovations, citing the recent introduction of laparoscopy as a prime example. He also highlighted the hospital’s ongoing efforts to fully automate its services, which has contributed to increased revenue.

Dr. Ganda expressed his appreciation to all the partners who made the conference possible. The conference partners included PharmAccess, the Ministry of Health PS Kenya, Africa CDC, African Union, Medtronic LABS Africa, Health Business, AMREF Flying Doctors, County Government of Kisumu, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, WomenLift Health, Living Goods, Pathfinder International Kenya, Health Informatics Association (KeHIA), Lake Region Economic Bloc Health_X_Africa, MTIBA, Healthy Entrepreneurs Center for Public Health and Development, Jacaranda Health, Lwala Community Alliance, Jhpiego Task Force Health Care, the Pan African Health Informatics Association (HELINA), Signify Palladium: Make It Possible, Tiko PATH, Maisha Meds, HJF Medical Research International, WONDER Healthcare, and many more.