For a patient attending a medical camp, the usual expectation is that they will get to see a doctor for a diagnosis and treatment if possible, and hope that an issue that has been bothering them will be dealt with.
To provide long-term solutions at their medical camps, the M-PESA Foundation has linked up with Zuri Health, a startup that uses technology to provide accessible and personalised healthcare solutions.
Patients who get treated at M-Pesa Foundation medical camps can access a doctor via SMS, a chatbot, or WhatsApp for free follow-up consultation.
“This is not a touch-and-go initiative like the usual medical camps. There is continuity of care. We register you and get your details so that once you are attended to at the medical camp, we can follow up for the next year with whichever healthcare provider served you,” explains Dr Mokeira Gisairo.
In addition to following up with patients to find out how they are doing and give them health tips, Zuri Health also uses technology to help patients book doctor’s appointments, lab tests, and medication from pharmacies.
With the data being collected and stored online for access by medical providers, data protection and security is a key plank for the Zuri Health digital offering.
“The first thing about our system is its privacy to our patients. We value privacy a lot. We value the patient details, we value our database systems, and on top of everything, we value the health of our clients and patients that we are dealing with in these health camps in the 47 counties in partnership with Safaricom,” says Bruno Kiptoo, a Software Developer at the startup.
The health-tech startup, which was founded in Kenya in 2021 by Ikechukwu Arthur Anoke, Titilola Olaolu-Hassan, and Daisy Isiaho, now has a presence in eight African countries. It has received numerous awards and a substantial injection of venture capital funds.
Ikechukwu, its co-founder and CEO, is clear as to the company’s vision and mission, “At Zuri Health, we’re democratising access to healthcare in Africa, which bears the highest disease burden in the world. When we look at the fact that over 50 per cent of the continent live on less than $1 a day, we know that healthcare is too expensive, inaccessible and unaffordable for them. Our goal is ensuring that everybody that we meet has access to healthcare, because healthcare is a fundamental human right.”
As it seeks to improve healthcare accessibility and the well-being of communities, Zuri Health is pioneering the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare in the country. Innovations include an AI diagnostic tool that features voice and facial recognition capabilities, which can be used in mental health screening.
The M-PESA Foundation, in collaboration with Zuri Health, Lions Eye Hospital, and Gertrude Hospital, has been carrying out free medical camps with a difference for underserved communities across the country.
At the medical camps, one can get a general doctor consultation or get screened for diabetes and hypertension as part of the Non-Communicable Diseases program. There is also the Ramka initiative, which supports cancer screening. There is a family planning section and a fistula screening. Child welfare clinics are supported by Gertrude Hospital, while Lions Eye Hospital conducts eye tests to promote eye health and vision care.
