Mr Elias Mwaura of PrimeSoft Solutions (K) Ltd, a technology company
based in Nakuru that provides enterprise software solutions to public
and private institutions. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH
Devolution has opened new business opportunities for small
businesses and many investors have shifted their focus from the national
government to counties.
One such firm is PrimeSoft, a
software company that seeks to equip the institutions in the devolved
units with the latest applications to boost operations and service
delivery. The start-up that is based in Nakuru has expanded to Meru and
Eldoret, targeting public and private institutions in those counties.
Primesoft
founder Elias Mwaura says growth in technology and demand for new
systems by hospitals is growing and it has seen the company create
solutions to ease patient registration.
His
entrepreneurial journey began after he had just completed his
undergraduate course in Computer Science and Engineering at Maseno
University in 2006 when he decided to set up an office in Kisumu where
he had established a growing clientele.
EFFECIENT MANAGEMENT
One
of the firm’s software — Hospital Management System — uses biometrics
and smartcards for unique identification of patients. This makes
treatment easy, especially in cases of emergency that require blood
transfusion and organ transplant.
“The Hospital
Management System is designed for use in any health facility that
desires to achieve efficiency in operations. It offers functionality
that covers the entire range of hospital activities,” says Mr Mwaura.
The software is flexible to cater for unique needs and priorities of different hospitals, whether large or small, he adds.
The
system is a comprehensive package that includes various modules which
cater to different functional aspects of healthcare institutions. It
offers health facilities a wide range of choices given that they only
use the functions that are relevant to their operations and needs.
Charity
Medical Hospital based in Nyahururu, is one of the institutions that
benefit from services offered by Primesoft. In the past, the hospital
managed its operations manually including processing of invoices for the
clients.
Charity Medical director Ambrose Magondu says
the system has enabled the hospital management to keep accurate records
of the patients.
“It’s more useful in the pharmacy
where we are able to keep record of the drugs in store and those in high
demand,” he said. “We are also apply the system in the human resource
and payroll solutions.”
The growth has enabled the
entrepreneur to open two other PrimeSoft branches in Meru and Eldoret to
offer one-stop service centre for all information technology solutions.
The firm develops software applications for hospitals, schools,
hardware shops, supermarkets as well as websites.
“We
have a customised system which fits the local ICT set-up that is
user-friendly with open prices flexible to customers,” says Mr Mwaura.
Other
modules in the system include integration of laboratory machines
including MRI, CT scan and X-rays with the surgical theatre equipment.
To ensure efficiency in service delivery, Mr Mwaura works with a
technical team comprising 15 experts.
NEW INNOVATIONS
“All
my employees are young people aged between 23 and 28 whom I am
nurturing,” he says. “I prefer them because it is easy to mentor them
while they are still fresh from college and equip them with skills
relevant to the market.”
He says local firms still find it a big challenge to clinch lucrative government and company deals.
Most
State agencies and private firms, Mr Mwaura says, prefer outsourcing
services from foreign countries. “This is mostly the government and
banking institutions which place a lot of barriers in accessing the
contracts. They require a lot of supporting documents,” he said.
PrimeSoft comprises different departments including technical support, sales, administration and finance.
“We
have an eye on Kampala and Dar es Salaam where I have established
contacts and regular clients,” he says of future regional expansion
plans.
Mr Mwaura says the secret of quality service is recruiting IT graduates who have fresh minds and the energy for new innovations.
“Our
support consultants visit and review client’s current usage of the
installed solution and provide practical guidance on how best maximise
the investments made. We also install and maintain CCTVs for businesses
and homes,” he says.
Mr Mwaura says a shortage of IT
expertise in the market has enabled him to exploit the business window
by helping enterprises computerise operations instead of relying on
cumbersome manual systems to boost productivity and service delivery
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