The Mountain Journal
All the 170 public health facilities in Murang’a County have been connected with a speedy internet designed to transform the health sector.
In the transformation programme, all the health centres and dispensaries located in the far locations have been connected through internet connectivity for the interest of promoting the health of the 1.2 million people in Murang’a.
Governor Irungu Kang’ata said the transformation is a milestone in healthcare digitization that will connect health centres in the urban and rural areas with the Telemedicine Hub, Muriranjas Level Four Hospital in Kahuro.
Kang’ata said the programme was upgraded through a partnership with Paratus Group, an authorized local service provider with StarLink, designed to transition all county health facilities from conventional WiFi connectivity to satellite internet technology.
Speaking during the launch Kang’ata said the initiative will significantly improve healthcare service delivery by providing faster, more reliable and stable internet connectivity across all medical facilities while reducing internet costs by approximately 70 percent.
“Murang’a County has already installed satellite dishes in all the 170 public health facilities. This move will eliminate downtime, enhance efficiency in healthcare delivery, and strengthen our digital health systems,”he said.
He explained that improved connectivity will greatly enhance Murang’a County’s telemedicine programme by enabling patients at dispensary and health centre levels to consult medical specialists remotely without travelling to Murang’a Level Five Hospital.
“The upgraded satellite internet system will also support real-time telemedicine consultations, digital patient records management, laboratory diagnostics, and faster referrals across health facilities, which was previously an issue,” said the Governor..
He said the public institutions including schools and churches located within a 14-kilometre radius of the upgraded health facilities apply for access to the satellite connectivity through the county Government and service provider.
In the ongoing solarisation programme, by the end of June 140 health facilities will be connected out of the 170 facilities aimed at ensuring stable power supply in healthcare facilities.
Paratus Group Chief Commercial Officer Martin Cox lauded Murang’a for embracing digital transformation in healthcare, noting that satellite internet provides dependable connectivity even in remote and underserved areas where terrestrial internet infrastructure remains unreliable.
“This project demonstrates how satellite technology can transform healthcare delivery by ensuring medical facilities remain connected at all times,” said Cox.
Health Chief Officer Eliud Maina said fast and stable internet will help the medical doctors have access to patients and transmission of laboratory results seamlessly.
“ Murang’a is now researching the introduction of drone service to improve the health service as the Governor pledged during the election,” said Maina. Also present included Mr Joseph Chenge from The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), representatives from the Israel, Slovakian, Israeli and United States embassies
