Electronic medical records (EMR) replace traditional paper-based systems, allowing healthcare providers to store, access, and share patient information more efficiently. One of the most significant advantages of EMRs is their ability to improve patient care. In developing regions, where healthcare facilities may be scarce and often under-resourced, EMRs provide a streamlined way for doctors and nurses to track a patient's medical history, treatments, and outcomes.

This means that even if a patient moves between clinics or regions, their medical information is available whenever needed, ensuring continuity of care.

In Kenya, Palladium collaborates with Ministry of Health and other stakeholders through the KenyaHMIS project to implement and use the KenyaEMR system across health facilities. Earlier this year, when the team launched a revamped KenyaEMR as TaifaCare HMIS, it was more than just a technical update, it indicated a shift in how digital health systems are being built, scaled, and sustained across Africa.

Developed on the most recent OpenMRS platform technology stack, TaifaCare KenyaEMR is a modular, open-source electronic health record system custom built for Kenya’s health sector to meet local needs and align with government priorities. Behind the scenes, Palladium, and its ecosystem partners, drawn from a global and local community of practice, are helping to drive a deeper transformation, one that reimagines sustainability, government ownership, and private sector engagement as the cornerstones of digital health.

The system rollout is the latest milestone in a long journey that started over a decade ago. KenyaEMR, originally designed to support HIV clinics, has now expanded to serve entire health facility points-of-care. This evolution reflects Kenya’s strategic shift toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Primary Health Care (PHC) approach, where every citizen should have access to integrated, person centred services without financial hardship.

This transition requires a system that can adapt quickly to new and emerging demands. “TaifaCare KenyaEMR modular architecture allows for agility,” says Pascal Mwele, Palladium’s Director for Digital Innovation and Change Management. “It’s not a monolith. That flexibility is what made it possible to move from vertical programs to integrated service delivery in a relatively short period of time.”

As donor funding for health systems declines globally, sustainability has become a central concern. “Traditionally, when funding drops, data systems collapse,” Mwele explains. “We have been thinking about digital system sustainability in three dimensions: technical, operational, and financial feasibility.”

Created with Localisation in Mind

Technically, TaifaCare KenyaEMR is built on locally accessible open‑source tools and optimised for low‑connectivity environments, ensuring it works in both urban hospitals and rural dispensaries. Operationally, it aligns with government priorities for holistic health service integration, moving beyond disease-specific program management to support integrated continuity of care across the life course.

Financially, Palladium has been exploring new models that blend open-source principles with value-added services, creating opportunities for private sector innovation and long-term system maintenance.

This shift is not only about keeping systems running but further redefines who owns and drives digital health investments. “The way of working needs to shift from foreign donor-led to government-led implementations,” adds George Owiso, a pioneer of KenyaEMR innovation and evolution, and the Deputy Director on the Palladium Kenya-led Kenya HMIS project (KeHMIS).

“Governments are taking leadership, and our role is to support that transition without overshadowing it.”

That support includes deep collaboration with national stakeholders, long-term capacity building, and a commitment to localisation. “Our tech teams are rooted in the continent and communities where we are working. We’re aligning with national strategies and ensuring that digital health implementation experiences and systems like TaifaCare KenyaEMR can be repurposed for other countries, like Ethiopia, with minimal effort,” emphasises Evans Munene, the KeHMIS Process Excellence & Delivery Lead. This localisation is reinforced by Palladium’s active role in the global OpenMRS community, which includes contributing code, shaping standards, and ensuring that Kenya’s innovations

benefit other countries while Kenya benefits from global advancements.
The team also highlights the importance of institutional feasibility or ensuring that systems are technically sound and are also strategically positioned to benefit from the innovative force of private sector ecosystems while aligning to government-led digital health governance structures. TaifaCare KenyaEMR development was closely aligned with emerging global standards, including international digital health best practices, protocols, and guidelines, positioning it for interoperability and future growth.

The story is not just about scale or technical prowess. It’s about multi-disciplinary expertise. “We have to help our country-stakeholders respond to new realities and demonstrate how technology architectures, operating models and ecosystems can align to get there.” That response includes navigating complex stakeholder environments, balancing community-driven development with national priorities, and maintaining the largest footprint of feedback to the global OpenMRS community. “To take learnings to scale, we have committed to contributing back to the community and demonstrating how the experience in Kenya can be applied to other contexts,” Munene adds.

“Our implementation leadership shapes the evolution of the platform.”

Building the Blueprint

As digital health continues to evolve, TaifaCare KenyaEMR offers a blueprint for what’s possible when technology, strategy, and local leadership converge. It’s a story of transformation, not just of a platform, but of a paradigm.

But it doesn’t stop there. Looking ahead, TaifaCare Kenya EMR also provides a foundation to expand the use of American technologies including cloud infrastructure and foundational AI models and taking advantage of healthcare data standards and compliance. Teddy Berihun, Palladium Director of Information Systems, explains that by by embracing cloud capabilities and AI, Kenya can also tap into American technology leadership in these domains.

“U.S. companies are at the forefront of cloud services and AI development,” he says. “A standards-based, open-source EMR like TaifaCare can serve as a bridge, allowing Kenya to access innovation on its own terms to enhance healthcare delivery. It’s a symbiotic opportunity: Kenya’s health system gains access to state-of-the-art tools, and American firms get to demonstrate the impact of their technology in a flagship African health system aligned with U.S. development goals.”

And while the launch of TaifaCare HMIS powered by KenyaEMR is a moment worth celebrating, the real impact lies in what comes next: a future where African governments lead, communities contribute, private sector business models are nurtured, and systems endure; delivering on the promise of UHC and PHC for generations to come.