HEALTH WORKERS TRAINED ON DIGITAL INNOVATION FOR WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE

The Department of Health on Friday convened an induction meeting for healthcare workers at Kusyombunguo Hotel to advance women’s health through the FemTech ecosystem by laying the foundation for a collaborative, gender-responsive and digitally enabled innovation framework.

Speaking during the meeting, Professor Beatrice Kihara of the University of Nairobi said the initiative seeks to improve women’s health outcomes across every stage of life by harnessing digital technologies and innovation.

She said the programme will focus on strengthening the digital health ecosystem through telemedicine, artificial intelligence (AI), mobile health technologies, wearable devices and clinical decision support systems.

According to Prof. Kihara, the initiative also aims to promote gender-responsive and inclusive innovations that address key women’s health priorities, including maternal health, family planning, menstrual health, cervical and breast cancer, adolescent health and menopause, while integrating digital technologies into routine healthcare delivery.

She further called for the establishment of a Makueni County FemTech Observatory to coordinate innovation, research, surveillance and evidence generation.

The observatory, she said, would also champion environmentally sustainable digital health solutions while driving public awareness and behaviour change initiatives to improve digital health literacy, strengthen community engagement and accelerate the adoption of technology.

Prof. Kihara noted that women face unique health challenges, including endometriosis, fertility complications and uterine fibroids, underscoring the need for innovative, technology-driven solutions to improve healthcare outcomes.