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Telkom to power Afya Rekod COVID-19 Monitoring Platform

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  • Afya Rekod will also pilot a COVID-19 activity tracking and monitoring system at the county level;
  • Kenyans will be able to access the platform via USSD and an APP.

Nairobi, May 6, 2020: Telkom will power health tech company, Afya Rekod’s health management platform, that will facilitate COVID-19 monitoring and analysis.

The Afya Rekod platform was developed, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, to support global efforts to curb the disease. It is a centralised, multilingual, intelligent health data platform, built with Artificial Intelligence (AI) modules and blockchain technology, to ensure that it is adaptive, dynamic and secured for public usage. This platform converts structured and unstructured data to global health data record keeping, using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and other international standards. The Afya Rekod platform will essentially provide a virtual repository for individuals to store their health data in real time.

Kenyans will be able to access the platform via USSD code: *380#, or by downloading the Afya Rekod App via Google Play Store.

Telkom’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mugo KIBATI says:

“As a telco, we understand the importance of easy accessibility of data when it comes to the management of disease outbreaks. We are happy to play a role in ensuring that the people of Kenya are able to share real time information of any symptoms they may experience related to COVID-19, keep logs of their progress, be able to get the right information, as well as have access to health workers who can support them with initial consultation.”

Telkom will host Afya Rekod’s application in its virtual environment, ensuring the all data is in a local repository. Telkom will also provide the USSD Code *380# that will enable those with feature phones to easily access the platform. Afya Rekod will also get to benefit from an unlimited application-to-person SMS solution, from Telkom, to further complement communication with the application’s users.

Mr. KIBATI adds: “One of the most critical issues during this period will be how quickly health workers are upskilled, and kept well informed on how they can best support patients and also protect themselves in the process. Quick adoption of technology platforms such as the one offered by Afya Rekod, therefore, is vital towards this fight against COVID-19.”

This platform, that also allows for backward and forward integration with multiple Electronic Health Record Systems (EHRs) and Medical Electronic Record Systems (MERs), will enable streamlined information-sharing to empower health workers.

The Founder and CEO of Afya Rekod, John KAMARA says:

“Lack of patient data in real time makes it hard to curb disease and more so a virus such as COVID-19, whose cure and vaccine are still being sought. The application is being launched at a crucial time whenthe world is experiencing one of the biggest pandemics in generations and we need to monitor the movement and evolution of the virus closely to determine, among other things, the changing nature of symptoms.”

The Afya Rekod platform will enable users to capture real-time data that will heat-map areas where COVID-19 infections are growing, and monitor the growth in real-time, by collecting user-generated information from users, across multiple geographic locations, to allow for sufficient data analysis. Its decentralised nature, that enables people to update their own records, anytime, anywhere, and in multiple formats, will support the relevant health authorities with efficient general management of the spread of the disease, resource mobilisation, and patient support, where required.

Mr. KAMARA adds: “Afya Rekod and Telkom are in talks with County Governments to pilot the use of the platform with their health workers, for the facilitation of training and in-App consultation. We have already confirmed the participation of five counties, including: West Pokot, Tharaka Nithi, Nandi, Isiolo and Garissa, to adopt the usage of the Afya Rekod platform, for their county-specific COVID-19 interventions, as they work to further equip their health workers to better handle the pandemic.”

The initiative with Afya Rekod adds to the list of targeted interventions that Telkom has announced in recent days. Last month, Telkom announced the launch of the Soma na Telkom bundles, tailored to power the e-learning programmes of educational institutions, notably the University of Nairobi, the KCA University, the USIU-A, and the Africa Digital Media Institute (ADMI). Telkom also donated a 50 Mbps link to the Kenyatta National Hospital’s Infectious Diseases Unit at Mbagathi. The free Internet has enabled patients in quarantine as well as the frontline nurses, medical officers and doctors at the Mbagathi facility, to keep in touch with their loved ones and the outside world. Telkom has also provisioned the National Emergency Response Committee on Coronavirus, that is based at the Ministry of Health’s offices at Afya House, with free Internet connectivity, to support their work in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya. The 200 Mbps link will also be used by the Ministry of Health’s offices at Afya House.

Telkom and its partner Loon Inc. recently announced that a larger fleet of balloons is heading to Kenya, to join the balloons that are already active and part of a network integration exercise in Kenyan airspace, in readiness for deployment of the Loon service in the country. The Loon service, will seek to use its 4G/LTE Internet solution to connect unserved and under-served communities in Kenya. Initial coverage areas have already been identified, starting with Nairobi, Machakos, Nyeri, Nakuru, Kitui, Nanyuki, Narok and into Kisii. Telkom and Loon will thereafter work to expedite service deployment, progressively, to other areas, to support the Kenya Government’s efforts to address and manage the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

 

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About Telkom

Telkom connects the people that keep Kenya on the move. It does this by providing integrated telecommunications solutions to individuals, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Government and large corporates in Kenya, drawing from a diverse solutions suite that includes voice, data, mobile money as well as network services. Powered by its vast fibre optic infrastructure, it is also a major provider of wholesale carrier-to-carrier traffic, within the country and the region.

Telkom is building on strong, consumer-centric ethos that is committed to providing innovative, accessible and refreshingly simple communications solutions that suit customers’ everyday communication needs.

Established as a telecommunications operator in April 1999, Telkom is 60 per cent owned by Helios Investment Partners, with the remaining stake held by Kenyans through the Government of Kenya. Telkom Kenya owns a 23% stake in TEAMS, a 5,000km undersea fibre optic cable through Fujairah, UAE; a 10% stake in LION2 another 2,700km undersea fibre optic cable through Mauritius. It also owns a 2.6% stake in the East African Submarine System Cable and manages the National Optic Fibre Backbone, an inland fibre optic cable network running through Kenyan counties. The arrival of DARE 1 with Telkom as the landing partner further reinforces its role in the management of the National Optic Fibre Backbone.

Please visit www.telkom.co.ke to get to know more about Telkom.

 

ABOUT AFYA REKOD

Your partner in health, built on AI and blockchain technologies

Afya Rekod is a decentralised, patient driven health data storage platform that allows users to store their health records, the medication they take, run symptom checks, as well as keep a regular journal on the status of their health and that of their families, access first line consultation from certified doctors and verified health content and information.

Afya Rekod’s mission is to facilitate access to health data and easen medical reporting. The platform is AI driven and uses various AI modules to help detect abnormalities and early outbreaks, as well as monitor mobility and the evolution of diseases via timely data analytics.

Users can access Afya Rekod via USSD, its mobile APP and web Portal. The USSD works on normal feature phones (non-smart phones) with no Internet (data) required.

The company is based out of Nairobi, Kenya, with plans to roll out across Africa and beyond.

For more information visit: www.afyarekod.com

 

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For clarification, please contact: George Mlaghui | gmlaghui@telkom.co.ke

Follow Telkom on Twitter: @TelkomKenya

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