HealthCare Mobile

Two years ago, in Nigeria, I was home alone with my little sister. Suddenly, she had difficulty breathing and started to turn blue. My town has no emergency hotlines, and I had little to no options. The nearest medical facility was 30 minutes away with the possibility of long wait times upon arrival. Fortunately for us, she started breathing normally after 10 minutes. But what if that wasn’t the case?

HealthCare Mobile is a platform that deploys health services to the door steps of community members via Community Health Workers (CHWs) for an affordable cost. For Patients: At the touch of a button, users can register, request for, and pay the nearest registered Community Health Worker within a 1-mile radius to perform Primary Care Services.  Health Workers: Are directly connected to people who need their services. They generate an income for themselves for each they patient visit – promoting social entrepreneurship.

Currently, there is a heightened interest in CHW programs to increase access to healthcare across sub-Saharan Africa to reduce child mortality rates, the spread of diseases, and to promote healthy communities. Africa is the second largest populous continent with an estimated population of 1.2 billion people and expected to double by 2050. It is imperative for CHW programs to keep up Africa’s growing population and demand for access to healthcare services. However, the problem persists that there are many individuals who lack access to health services. This is due to a myriad of reasons: inadequate health facilities, high medical cost, poor infrastructure (roads), and small pool of skilled health providers. There is a need to develop a capability that will empower community members to be local health providers within their communities. Research shows that community-based interventions are effective platforms for delivering healthcare services and promoting healthy communities. Evidence indicates that well-implemented community-based health programs can: 1. Significantly reduce infant mortality during and after birth 2. Change health orientations in communities 3. Provide sustainable and low-cost access to health services 4. Monitor and evaluate disease outbreaks 5. Provide employment opportunities for CHWs while promoting socio-economic growth.

HealthCare Mobile seeks to solve the lack of affordable health plans and services for Nigeria's informal sector. This comprises of people who own small enterprises, self-employed, unemployed. They reside in semi-urban/poor urban areas that have few health facilities, shortage of skilled health workers, poor infrastructure, and high medical costs. CHWs are the extension of the health system in developing countries and are responsible for delivering primary health services to community members. Unfortunately, they are underutilized due to lack of employment opportunities. Currently there are roughly 700,000 registered Community Health Workers in Nigeria. About 75% of them are underutilized due to lack of employment opportunities. 90% of Nigeria's population pay out-of-pocket for health care services and 10% have health insurance. HealthCare Mobile proposes to bridge this gap by utilizing CHWs as a vehicle to deliver fast and affordable primary health services to community members. Last year December (in Nigeria), I surveyed 400 people including community health workers who have expressed excitement to test an MVP once it becomes available. 72% expressed cost and understaffed health facilities as being the number one barrier of accessing health care in Nigeria, followed by long commute times, and lastly long wait times at health facilities. 

Healthcare Mobile assists CHWs with guided assessments to provide triage care and diagnose prevalent illnesses within the local community. Using the application, patients can request for a CHW during an emergency or when they are experiencing health related symptoms. Healthcare Mobile matches the patient with the closest CHW within a 1-mile radius. Healthcare Mobile walks the CHW through guided assessments to administer triage care and diagnose patient’s illness. Once the root cause is determined, the application will suggest a treatment plan for the patient. In case of an emergency, application will stop the guided assessment and immediately refer the patient to the nearest hospital/health professional. Timely alerts are sent to patients to ensure that they are keeping up with their treatment plans and to remind CHWs of the patients next scheduled appointment. Healthcare Mobile's software is optimized to work on various operating systems and is available offline for geographical locations with limited internet connectivity. Patient’s data is securely captured and stored on a cloud made available to patient, CHWs, health professionals, Nigerian Ministry of Health and NGOs. Healthcare Mobile also monitors for potential disease outbreaks in real time and equips emergency personnel with relevant information to mitigate epidemics. HealthCare Mobile allows users to create a "purse" on the platform to serve as a health plan for customers seeking access to a standardized health care package; capturing those who work in the informal sector.