Dr. Shannon Shibata-Germanos, Proximie, Patricia Ithau, M-PESA Foundation, Dr. Michael Mwachiro, Surgical Society of Kenya and Peter Mwarogo, Kilifi Health Executive, during the Digital Operating Room launch at Kilifi County Referral Hospital. Photo/courtesy.
Kilifi County Referral Hospital has launched a Digital Operating Room that will use tele-surgery technology to improve emergency maternal and neonatal care, reducing the need for patient referrals and expanding access to specialist surgical expertise.
The facility was established through a partnership between the M-Pesa Foundation and Proximie under the Uzazi Salama Programme.
The technology enables surgeons at Kilifi County Referral Hospital to collaborate in real time with specialists in Kenya and abroad during complex surgical procedures. The platform combines artificial intelligence, cloud-based software and augmented reality to support emergency obstetric and neonatal surgeries.
The initiative is expected to strengthen emergency care by reducing delays in treatment, improving surgical outcomes and enhancing skills transfer among healthcare professionals.
M-Pesa Foundation Trustee Patricia Ithau said the solution will help bring specialist healthcare services closer to communities through Safaricom’s connectivity infrastructure.
“Our collaboration with Proximie through this technology will strengthen the Uzazi Salama Programme by bringing communities closer to specialised health services,” she said.
Proximie Head of Global Health Dr Shannon Shibata-Germanos said Kilifi was selected because of its high maternal and neonatal mortality rates.
“The maternal health indicators in Kilifi are what led us to choose this county for the Digital Operating Room to curb instances of maternal and infant mortality,” she said.
According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, Kilifi records a maternal mortality ratio of 532 deaths per 100,000 live births. The county also reports neonatal mortality of about 24 deaths per 1,000 live births, highlighting persistent challenges in access to emergency maternal healthcare.
Some health facilities in the county continue to lack round-the-clock maternity services, limiting timely access to emergency surgical care.
The Digital Operating Room is expected to reduce unnecessary referrals by enabling complex procedures to be performed locally while allowing surgeons to receive virtual support from specialists elsewhere.
The project forms part of the Uzazi Salama Programme, launched in 2024 to improve reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health services across Kilifi County.
Founded in 2016, Proximie develops digital operating room technology that connects surgeons around the world through artificial intelligence, cloud computing and augmented reality, helping improve access to specialised surgical care and standardise surgical quality across healthcare systems.
