Most patients find it hard to locate a health facility that offers specialised treatment. Imagine having a mobile application that can link a patient health to facilities offering surgical services.
Well, one student figured out and developed a mobile application that seeks to link patients to health facilities. Maryanne Mwangi, says she developed the App to address the gaps in the health system.
The Master of Science in Data Analytics at KCA University explains that the surgical referral mobile application dubbed ‘Jumuia’ is designed to streamline, facilitate, and automate the referral process between low-resource setting facilities and the central hospital.
It offers user-friendly platform, aiming to improve communication, minimise referral delays, especially in emergency and high-priority cases, and ensure prompt access to appropriate surgical services.
“Clinicians in these facilities often encounter challenges in performing specialised surgical procedures that go beyond the capabilities of their own establishments. Consequently, they must refer patients to more advanced facilities, equipped with the expertise and resources to handle complex surgical procedures,” she explains.
Ms Mwangi says the app enables clinicians to log in and input patient details through registration and referral forms. This information and the patient's details are then uploaded to the hospitals server.
The clinical team then accesses the referral form, allowing them to contact the patient and initiate the process for the required surgical procedure.
She explains that with the app, a clinician in any part of Kenya and beyond (it’s available on Google play store) can refer a patient for specialised surgery to health facilities.
“This is critical because the senior surgeons are mainly in Nairobi where appropriately equipped facilities are available. The app, therefore, gives hospitals the ability to create visibility for their surgical department, to enable them to serve as many Kenyans as possible, and establish lasting interfaculty relationships to support and complement healthcare delivery to Kenyans,” adds the innovator.
The app can process as many patients ranging from hundreds to thousands in a day, she explains.
The innovator says they plan to patent it to enable its customisation for various healthcare setups and facilities specialising in surgical referrals.
Currently, the app is designed to exclusively serve Jumuia Hospitals.
“The goal is to extend its reach to a broader spectrum of healthcare institutions, including public, private, and church-based facilities,” adds Ms Mwangi.
Her advice to young innovators is to come up with solutions for problems communities around the country and beyond face.
“Understanding real-world challenges empowers us to use technology as a tool to create lasting solutions. By gaining technical knowledge, staying persistent, and remaining focused, we can develop solutions that truly matter,” she explains.
“Our generation can uniquely leverage technology for positive change, especially in sectors like healthcare where it can save lives,”
