Public-private collaboration to improve supply of AIDS drugs

A major public-private partnership comprised of Axesstel, the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), Dell, the Nairobi Provincial Medical Office, Qualcomm, RTI International and Telkom Kenya is planning to improve the supply of AIDS drugs and treatment through the use of wireless technology.

"A reliable, uninterrupted supply of ARVs [antiretrovirals drugs] is crucial to the success of antiretroviral therapy," said Samuel Ochola, Nairobi provincial director of public health and sanitation. "Our current supply management system is characterized by tedious and time-consuming manual maintenance of records, which is a heavy burden considering the shortage of human resource."

The drug supply system in Kenya has been faulted for the shortage of antiretroviral drugs in government hospitals, and the partnership will harness the benefits of advanced 3G wireless technology to improve efficiency. It will also provide technical support, training and capacity building to ensure long-term sustainability and promote scalability.

As part of its contribution, Telkom Kenya will provide Orange broadband technology at no cost and supply desk phones for connectivity. The company will also provide pharmacists at the Kasarani Clinic on the outskirts of Nairobi -- one of 16 pilot centers -- with free e-mail addresses that they can use to place drug orders.

"We are pleased to be supporting this project by enabling advanced communications between facilities so health care workers can share critical information with each other and with the provincial medical office," said Telkom Kenya CEO Dominique Saint-Jean.

The CCK will support the acquisition and installation of computer hardware and software in five health facilities, while Dell will donate Vostro desktop computers and peripherals.

Qualcomm, through its Wireless Reach initiative, is working with project participants to equip health centers with computers, software and wireless broadband connectivity based on CDMA2000® Rev. A technology to facilitate the online transmission of reports.

"By providing the public health centers with 3G connectivity, we are creating a communication network that will bring more efficient care at faster speeds to patients in need," said Jeffrey A. Jacobs, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Qualcomm.

The computers provided by the partnership will be connected to Telkom Kenya's CDMA Orange Fixed Plus network using modems provided by Axesstel. The project will utilize open-source software, which has been designed by RTI based on Kenya's manual recording system.

RTI and the Nairobi Provincial Office will manage the project's implementation, with the long-term goal of producing a locally sustainable communication system that can be rolled out to more health centers in the country.