NAIROBI, Kenya, September 12 – Outdated technology is a major challenge for Kenya’s healthcare system, a new report reveals, severely affecting the provision of high-quality medical care nationwide.
According to the report, investment in sufficient printing technology will be focal in reducing downtime, streamlining workflows, and allowing staff to concentrate on their primary role of caring for patients.
According to Mukesh Bector, Regional Head for East and West Africa at Epson, the advancement of Kenya’s health IT infrastructure will be essential in elevating the overall productivity of hospitals and clinics.
“Healthcare workers lose approximately five million working days each year due to inadequate printing technology. This inefficiency strains systems already facing significant challenges,” Bector stated.
The Epson’s Health Research Study was conducted across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.It surveyed 3,400 healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses, who regularly tend to patients.
The report noted that 79 percent of Kenyan healthcare workers reported wasting substantial time due to inadequate printers, with nearly 89 percent of the workers calling for improved IT to reduce wasted time.
Experts have now asserted that the uptake of advanced printers in health facilities will further help in the quick production of referral forms, laboratory requests, admission forms, and prescriptions.
“It is crucial for healthcare leaders and IT managers to respond to these findings by upgrading their printing infrastructure to support better patient outcomes and operational efficiency,” said James Osborne from Epson Europe.
For healthcare workers, the environmental impact of obsolete printers is also a major concern, with 80 percent of the surveyed participants across the regions expressing distress about the sustainability of non-eco-friendly printers.
Lucy Mutara, CEO of Astradental Services Ltd. in Nairobi, stressed that the adoption of eco-friendly printers in the various healthcare facilities will be fundamental in reducing the country’s carbon footprint and further reducing energy consumption.
