Tanzanian Woman Introduces Affordable Mobile Healthcare Solution – Jamii

Tanzanian businesswoman Lilian Makoi has introduced an affordable mobile healthcare solution christened Jamii Africa in Tanzania. Although she has co-founded a number of startups, Jamii Africa happens to be her biggest and most positive business venture.

According to Lilian Makoi, she started Jamii Africa after losing someone in her family from a treatable medical emergency. The main reason for the loss, she said was their inability to pay for medical services. And this according to her was a wake-up call.

She was therefore ignited to do a research concerning the incident, after which she found out that, in-access and in-affordability to medical services was a problem facing 70 percent of the Tanzania population.

Per the research, she decided to speak with various insurers to understand why they were not addressing such an issue. But unfortunately majority attributed their inability to “high insurance administration costs.”

“Through the experience I had gained in my career it was easy to craft out how the mobile phone can be used to do most, if not all, of the administrative activities of the insurer, from on-boarding, premium collection, benefit ledger management, claims processing and payout,” she said.
She then built the platform and reached out to Vodacom as a product partner. With Jamii, users easily call Vodacom’s M-Pesa USSD menu and select a policy fit for their family size and what they can afford.

The policy ranges from $1 a month to $70 a year which also varys from 3 months/6 months to 12 options for individuals or families. After selecting the desired policy, individuals pay the premium via M-Pesa and then Jamii’s platform manages their benefit ledger, claim processing and payout to hospitals.

The platform cuts out the need for paperwork and manpower that makes insurance expensive. However, for each selected policy option, the user can spend 500 times the premium paid to access medical services.

The policyholder is then allowed to get medical services within the benefit cap, upon which they pay the hospital’s approved claims via M-Pesa. This platform provides affordable policies with flexible payment options that match the nature of the low-income families.

Speaking about the tech sector in Tanzania, she indicated that, it is developing with new players coming in and the youth actively playing a major role in the tech space as founders and CEOs.
According to her, there are tons of opportunities in terms of solving basic to business problems in the country using technology. She also commended the youth for being very active and risk-averse in technology.

She indicated that more could be done, in developing the ecosystem by providing the requisite support to make the journey shorter and easier for the founders and CEOs.
Although Lilian faced some challenges with team building and capital, now, she hopes to do more marketing campaigns directed towards customers and SME ; in a country where out of 50 million people, only five percent have health insurance

Saudi’s Balsam International to Perform Cardiac Surgeries in Tanzania’s

Balsam International, a heart surgery and cardiology team is preparing to go to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in the next few days to treat 176 heart patients after successful trips to treat 225 heart patients in Yemen.

Dr. Imad Bukhari, cardiac surgery consultant and CEO of Balsam, said that during the six-day trip the team aims to conduct 16-18 open heart surgeries, about 60 catheterizations, offering treatment to 100 cases in outpatient clinics in collaboration with the medical team at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute.

The trip comes after coordination with the Ambassador of Tanzania in Saudi Arabia Hamid Eid Maghazi, the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute. Heart surgeon Dr. Rakan Nazer expressed his delight in participating with his colleagues in Balsam in this humanitarian charity work. Dr. Rahim Gul, a Pakistani consultant in cardiac surgery, is taking part in this trip too.

Dr. Abdulaziz Khouja, anesthesiologist, and his colleagues remember joyfully the achievements of “Balsam1” and “Balsam2” trips to Yemen in April and May 2018. In about 12 days, 25 open heart surgeries and more than 200 catheterizations were carried out, in addition to more than 750 clinical and ultrasound checkups.

The nucleuses of this medical team are Saudi citizens who are proud of the international medical status that Saudi doctors have reached in fields such as heart surgery.

Kenya’s La Miguela All Sets to Storm the 21st Medexpo Africa 2018

Kenya’s La Miguela All Sets to Storm the 21st Medexpo Africa 2018

Healthcare is a word that defines the fitness of all, so are the safety measures taken to prevent disease spread and secure our well being. Manufactures providing us with the gadgets that ensure security have been held in high esteem, one big example is Kenya’s very own La Miguela Holdings. Widely known for their Needle Smelter, the company will showcase this marvel at the 21st Medexpo Africa 2018, to be held from the 04-06 September at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi.

Celebrating its 21st edition Medexpo, has been the market for over two decades, promoting the healthcare industry to the African market. The event features products, machinery, equipments, tools and technology used in the medical sectors, this would include, of tablets, syrups, syringes, scanners, surgery tools, lasers, OT equipments, scrubs, gloves, chemicals, solutions, cosmetic tools, sterilizers, centrifuges, microscopes etc. Exhibitors from over 25 countries participate, counting the continents apart from Africa. Overall entire floor is a fold of vast imaginations, a culmination of the brightest minds and ideas dedicated to healthcare sector.

La Minguela, a known name in the region is famous for its safety products and solution. They step in when you have no way out, especially in life threatening situations. They will bring their needle smelters to the expo; a devise that completes dissolves syringes under extreme heat with no risk of any transfer of disease, infection or any other ailing. The product will be a great addition to the list of displays at the expo. Moreover the fair will allow they the need exposure to other markets, international waters and promising traders.

The show is expected to attract over 5000 visitors, both local and international such as buyers, sellers, distributors, scientist, medical professionals, healthcare centre’s, facilities and institutions, developers, researchers, delegates, associations, suppliers to name a few. Moreover the participants will be quiet intriguing with all their innovation presented to a crowd, waiting for the next development in the healthcare future.

Kenya: President Promises New Dental Facilities

The Kenyan administration has allocated funds towards building new modern dental and eye facilities in referral hospitals in the nation. This is an initiative of President Uhuru Kenyatta who has mandated these centers to be completed within a 12 month period.

The president further revealed that his government will set aside Sh300 million for each hospital including prominent facilities like Kenyatta National and others, speaking at the inauguration of a new Sh275 million ultra-modern Dental and Eye Center.

“I have seen what less than Sh300 million can do to uplift the lives of Kenyans. I want to see similar facilities at Kenyatta, Moi, Nyeri and Mombasa [hospitals],” Uhuru said on Wednesday.

Kenyatta also went on to re-iterate his commitment towards achieving Universal Healthcare, which has been a very crucial part of his ‘Big Four’ agenda. He said that the role of the county governments will be of vital in its achievement.

Deputy President, William Ruto also added saying that every sector is going to be mobilized and will play a role in the transformation of Kenya.

“The transformation of Kenya will not happen if we do not mobilise every resource and every sector – NGOs, religious organisations and the public sector – so that we can push the transformation of our country under the agenda four items,” he said.

Kenya Conducting Nation-wide Inspections of Medical Centers before UHC Implementation

The Kenyan Administration has begun inspections of health facilities as they prepare to deploy their universal healthcare program. Governor Jackson Mandago spoke yesterday said that the inspection would be the necessary first step before they can proceed with their Universal Healthcare objective. 121 Healthcare Centers and staff will be inspected as part of the process.

“The assessment will assist us even as we prepare to roll out our universal healthcare. We have to make sure we have a full report on maternal and child care so that we can optimise human resources,” said Mandago. The governor went on to reveal that the administration has sought the assistance of 50 medical experts from various institutions from around the nation to conduct these inspections.

The specialists will come from several top Medical establishments such as Moi University, Maseno, Kenya Medical Training College and Moi teaching and Referral Hospital and others.

“We hope to be among the first counties to successfully implement universal healthcare. At the end of the audit, I will be able to share it with my fellow governors so that they can also adopt it. We want to be leaders in championing the Government’s Big Four agenda,” said Mandago.

Evelyne Rotich, County Health Minister said that a comprehensive inspection will be overseen by the government. The objective of the inspection will be to find gaps in the Kenyan Healthcare system and plug them. They are ready to assess and give us a report that we will work on. At the moment, as a department we have received blessings from the governor and we are looking forward to know the status of our facilities,” said Rotich. Dr Faith Yego, the team leader, said they would be using an assessment tool that has been developed and validated through facilitation from the Health ministry and World Bank.

Kenyan Medical Training College Announces New Campus

A new Kenyan Medical Training College (KMTC) Campus is in the works in the Mukurweni Constituency and is expected to be ready by September next year. Phillip Kaloki made a statement confirming the same after visiting the 10-acre space reserved for the college. He was joined by Mukurweini Constituency MP, Mr. Anthony Kiai and planning executive Daniel Kwai. This move comes in response to the country’s growing need for medical products and infrastructure.

“This will be the third KMTC campus in the county and we hope it will be completed by September next year so we can have our first intake. This will improve health services,” Kaloki said yesterday.

This project will mark KMTC’s 66th campus in Kenya. It has been an initiative of the Mukurweini MP and the county government, who will be stakeholders in the project. Mr. Kiai revealed that the Constituency Development Fund will contribute Sh20 million towards expenses.

“There will be an initial seed capital of Sh20 million from CDF. Other than land, county government has also pledged an additional Sh20 million as we start construction works,” he said. Kwai said. The Mukurweini  Central Ward has also given its full backing to the project as it is expected to generate a significant number of jobs in the area. The College will be expected to enroll around 200 students initially across a variety of programmes like nursing, orthopedics, pediatrics etc.

“We hope to grow the campus until it has a population of up to 1000 students. We will continue to be keen on quality considering 85 per cent of health professionals in Kenya have trained at KMTC,” Kaloki said. Two other campuses are under construction in Kirinyaga and Narok. There are plans to ensure each county has a KMTC campus.

President of Rwanda Impressed by Progress Made Towards Achieving Universal Healthcare

Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, has said that Rwanda has witnessed its all time low in maternal and child mortality rates. Community-based health insurance, good external partnerships and community health workers are responsible for decline in the numbers.

Rwanda has been increasing its network exponentially in terms of community health workers and volunteers in villages. This is evidently helping with the rural development as medical facilities are not reaching rural part of Rwanda more efficiently.

Kagame claims, close to 90% of Rwandans are currently enrolled in health insurance. Rwandan government subsidizes only one-third of the cost with contributions from beneficiaries taking care of the remaining two-thirds.

On the role technology played in the process, he said, “Integrating digital applications and new technologies into our health system has also made a difference, and we are now using drone aircraft to quickly deliver blood and medical supplies to rural hospitals.”

President emphasized on universal health coverage, says, it is possible for countries and all income levels. It is rather an opportunity and WHO (world health organization) is supporting this as well.

He added that, while advocating more funding to be channeled towards achieving UHC by 2030, he urged increased training and employment in the health workforce.

New Imaging Equipment with Upgraded Technology Will Change Medical Diagnosis

The radiologist, Ernest Wandera, Kakamega Level 5 hospital, said that the 64- slice new imaging technology will change medical diagnosis with its new capability to pick out several ailments.

This equipment help image the moving body part and captures it at once. Body parts like the heart are constantly moving and it gets very difficult to capture them at once and hence figuring out the problem becomes a difficult task altogether.

“It is just like different smartphones having varying features even though at the very basic definition, they are both phones,” says Mr Wandera, who sees an average 15 patients a day. He is one of the 800 radiologists selected for training in a Kenya- China medical equipment partnership.

Earlier, through the old technology it was required to push the dye through a needle, which was very risky. However, now this upgraded technology has made things a lot easier increasing the speed of operations and enabling better coverage while imaging. Apart from this, another addition is the contrast agency pump which can push dyes into patient’s blood vessels.

The machine is expected to be generated with UPS (uninterrupted power supply) unit and a standby generator.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment that has been installed over the past four years are used to scan through flesh, and widely used to detect tumors.

Sanofi Makes Kenya Hub for All Operations in East Africa

Pharmaceutical Company Sanofi have recently inaugurated their regional office in Nairobi to co-ordinate and dictate all its activities in Kenya and its neighboring countries of Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

Sanofi has been very involved in East Africa’s medical sphere of late and has been a chief supplier of medical products and vaccines in the East African market.

“Establishing a regional office in Kenya is a strong vote of confidence by Sanofi on its investment intent for the region,” Peter Munyasi, general manager of Sanofi for East Africa said.

Sanofi’s efforts in Kenya have been focused on managing diabetes and thrombosis. The company oversaw the launch of a new drug for diabetes just last month. The drug-manufacturers however are only one of a number of French companies trying to grow their influence in the markets of East Africa.

Kim Ramoneda, the deputy head of mission charge d’affaire at the French embassy revealed that 100 companies have set-up local offices in Kenya that shows the amount of serious interest the market is attracting presently.

Ms. Ramoneda believes that this interest stems from the nation’s status a regional hub in East Africa and its potential to grow even further. This potential has led many multinational companies from developed western countries like the UK and the United States to flock to Kenya and other parts of the region.

Other firms that have established branches in Kenya of late include names like Bechtel and General Electric.

Tanzanian Government Makes New Raft of Investments in Healthcare

The National Assembly was informed of the allocation of 30bn/- for the purpose of the bettering health delivery services in the districts of Simiyu, Njombe, Mara and Katavi earlier this week. The funds have been released by the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children and will be one of their highest priorities this term.

Dr Faustine Ndugulile, the Deputy Minister said that these funds will be used to purchase ambulances and will be distributed in the hospitals of the vicinity to support a growing dmand for medical services and medical products.

While speaking about the investment Dr Ndugulile said that the goal of this activity was to uplift the districts of Itilima and Busega and have them the standards of other health facilities in Kenya. He also said that construction work is focused mainly on the Outpatient Department (OPD).

At least 1.2bn/- has been allocated to improve infrastructures in the districts,” he told the National Assembly. He further added that some 525 m/- was allocated for Ikindilo health centre infrastructure and 450 m/- for Nasa Health centre in Itilima and Busega respectively.

“We also allocated 240 m/- to improve infrastructure in eight dispensaries where each will get 30 m/-,” he said. He announced that during the Financial Year 2018/19, the government has allocated 1.5bn/- for the two districts to improve health infrastructures.