Nairobi December 6, 2019 – The Ministry of Health has launched a new system to enhance surveillance and strengthen disease detection.
The Global Epidemic Prevention Project (GEPP) was launched today by the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) for Health, Dr. Rashid Aman in partnership with Safaricom and Korea Telkom at a Nairobi Hotel.
“The information gathered through the system will enable the Ministry of Health to adequately prepare for and respond to any outbreak threats,’ the CAS said.
He said the Ministry sees this project as a major milestone in the area of disease detection and prevention that will not only adequately alert the travelers of potential threats existing in their destinations but also ensure that they are adequately advised on relevant prevention measures to undertake for their personal wellbeing.
To register for this service, you can dial *265# and register to get updates at a free cost. No payments at all. It can be accessed by all users with any handset and is not obliged to a smartphone.
Dr. Rashid however, announced that in the initial phase, travelers will enroll into the system on voluntary basis owing to the existing data protection and privacy policies. “We however look forward to a time when everyone will enroll into the system,” he noted.
He highlighted that Kenya has continued to face an increasing and ever-present threat of fast spreading disease outbreaks due to the fact that it is a regional trade hub. Globalization has increased international trade and travel and has brought around new anxieties over massive epidemics due to the dramatic increase in the magnitude, velocity, and diversity of international movements making the spread of any given pathogen much harder to predict.
Currently, the East African region is facing an Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo which has affected slightly over three thousand people, with two thirds dying from the disease, in addition, to four cases reported to Uganda.
The Republic of Kenya and the Republic of Korea have cordial relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations on 7th February, 1964. The key areas of cooperation between the two countries include health, energy, transport, ICT, agriculture and education sectors.
In the health sector, the Ministry of Health is collaborating with the Government of Korea in the areas of Infrastructure development such as the upgrading of the Kitengela Hospital, Strengthening the National Health Information System in health data management and integration of data from both the public and private health facilities with both KEMSA and NHIF, Capacity building for health care professionals and personnel, and E-health and hospital information technology systems.
