TY - JOUR
T1 - Public-private partnership to rapidly strengthen and scale COVID-19 response in Western Kenya
AU - van Duijn, Shannen
AU - Barsosio, Hellen C.
AU - Omollo, Mevis
AU - Milimo, Emmanuel
AU - Akoth, Isdorah
AU - Aroka, Robert
AU - de Sanctis, Teresa
AU - K'Oloo, Alloys
AU - June, Micah J.
AU - Houben, Nathalie
AU - Wilming, Charlotte
AU - Otieno, Kephas
AU - Kariuki, Simon
AU - Onsongo, Simon
AU - Odhiambo, Albert
AU - Ganda, Gregory
AU - Rinke de Wit, Tobias F.
N1 - Funding Information: This project was financially supported by Achmea Foundation (Donation Agreement Initiatief 2020.002), Pfizer Foundation, and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Institutional Grant to Pharm Access Foundation 2016-2022). The funders did not have any role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, summarizing the data or decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2023 van Duijn, Barsosio, Omollo, Milimo, Akoth, Aroka, de Sanctis, K'Oloo, June, Houben, Wilming, Otieno, Kariuki, Onsongo, Odhiambo, Ganda and Rinke de Wit.
PY - 2023/1/17
Y1 - 2023/1/17
N2 - Introduction: In Africa almost half of healthcare services are delivered through private sector providers. These are often underused in national public health responses. To support and accelerate the public sector's COVID-19 response, we facilitated recruitment of additional private sector capacity by initiating a public-private partnership (PPP) in Kisumu County, Kenya. In this manuscript we demonstrate this PPP's performance. Methods: COVID-19 diagnostic testing formed the basis for a PPP between Kenyan Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Department of Health Kisumu County, PharmAccess Foundation, and local faith-based and private healthcare facilities: COVID-Dx. First phase COVID-Dx was implemented from June 01, 2020, to March 31, 2021 in Kisumu County, Kenya. Trained laboratory technologists in participating healthcare facilities collected nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal samples from patients meeting the Kenyan MoH COVID-19 case definition. Healthcare workers in participating facilities collected patient clinical data using a digitized MoH COVID-19 Case Identification Form. We shared aggregated results from these data via (semi-) live dashboards with all relevant stakeholders through their mobile phones and tablets. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata 16 to inform project processes. Results: Nine private facilities participated in the project. A patient trajectory was developed from case identification to result reporting, all steps supported by a semi-real time digital dashboard. A total of 4,324 PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 were added to the public response, identifying 425 positives, accounting for 16% of all COVID-19 tests performed in the County over the given time-period. Geo-mapped and time-tagged information on incident cases was depicted on Google maps through PowerBI-dashboards and fed back to policymakers for informed rapid decision making. Preferential COVID-19 testing was performed on health workers at risk, with 1,009 tests performed (up to 43% of all County health workforce). Conclusion: We demonstrate feasibility of rapidly increasing the public health sector COVID-19 response through coordinated private sector efforts in an African setting. Our PPP intervention in Kisumu, Kenya was based on a joint testing strategy and demonstrated that semi-real time digitalization of patient trajectories can gain significant efficiencies, linking public and private healthcare efforts, increasing transparency, support better quality health services and informing policy makers to target interventions.
AB - Introduction: In Africa almost half of healthcare services are delivered through private sector providers. These are often underused in national public health responses. To support and accelerate the public sector's COVID-19 response, we facilitated recruitment of additional private sector capacity by initiating a public-private partnership (PPP) in Kisumu County, Kenya. In this manuscript we demonstrate this PPP's performance. Methods: COVID-19 diagnostic testing formed the basis for a PPP between Kenyan Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Department of Health Kisumu County, PharmAccess Foundation, and local faith-based and private healthcare facilities: COVID-Dx. First phase COVID-Dx was implemented from June 01, 2020, to March 31, 2021 in Kisumu County, Kenya. Trained laboratory technologists in participating healthcare facilities collected nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal samples from patients meeting the Kenyan MoH COVID-19 case definition. Healthcare workers in participating facilities collected patient clinical data using a digitized MoH COVID-19 Case Identification Form. We shared aggregated results from these data via (semi-) live dashboards with all relevant stakeholders through their mobile phones and tablets. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata 16 to inform project processes. Results: Nine private facilities participated in the project. A patient trajectory was developed from case identification to result reporting, all steps supported by a semi-real time digital dashboard. A total of 4,324 PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 were added to the public response, identifying 425 positives, accounting for 16% of all COVID-19 tests performed in the County over the given time-period. Geo-mapped and time-tagged information on incident cases was depicted on Google maps through PowerBI-dashboards and fed back to policymakers for informed rapid decision making. Preferential COVID-19 testing was performed on health workers at risk, with 1,009 tests performed (up to 43% of all County health workforce). Conclusion: We demonstrate feasibility of rapidly increasing the public health sector COVID-19 response through coordinated private sector efforts in an African setting. Our PPP intervention in Kisumu, Kenya was based on a joint testing strategy and demonstrated that semi-real time digitalization of patient trajectories can gain significant efficiencies, linking public and private healthcare efforts, increasing transparency, support better quality health services and informing policy makers to target interventions.
KW - COVID-19
KW - developing country
KW - digital dashboard
KW - epidemic preparedness
KW - public-private partnership
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85147177644&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.837215
DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.837215
M3 - Article
C2 - 36733283
SN - 2296-2565
VL - 10
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
JF - Frontiers in Public Health
M1 - 837215
ER -