Liquid Telecom has connected the Getrudes Children’s Hospital to the Daadab refugee camp via internet. The camp which hosts about 250,000 refugees across four camps is at a distance of 500 kms away from the hospital. The internet connection has enabled patients at the camp to access dedicated healthcare which includes consultation, diagnostics and treatment.
Previously, the provision of medical services to the refugees has been inhibited by the absence of specialists in the remote semi-arid area. By using a 15 Mbps connection at the hospital in Nairobi and a 2 Mbps link at the Daadab sub-county hospital, the internet service provider is enabling the largest paediatric centre in East and Central Africa to deliver advanced treatment to Daadab.
According to Peter Kanda, Head of Information Services at Getrudes Children’s Hospital, the link to Daadab has enabled them to treat 56 patients so far. He continued to say, “When we get a call from Dadaab requesting time and input from our specialists, the ICT department notifies the relevant doctor and then schedules a virtual consultation using video conferencing equipment across Liquid Telecom’s network.”
The hospital is also offering telemedicine services in Mombasa, Sekenani in Narok and Kibera and will soon deploy the services to Maasai Mara.