Aquila Health Limited

In Kenya, for every 10,000 people there are only 2 Physicians, 0.12 Hospitals, and 0.99 Primary Healthcare Units. A bigger percentage of these are found in the urban areas. We aim to address two situations: an extremely underserved population, and an overworked and exhausted health workforce. When most people fall ill they opt to self medicate: this comes with many risks including incorrect self-diagnosis and administration, dangerous drug interactions, and masking of severe disease. 

Our solution consists of a telemedicine platform that will enable patients to interact with healthcare providers using their mobile phones. 

Providing access to effective healthcare to marginalised communities will mitigate the effects of covid 19, impact development by raising all measures of standard of life, and be a game changer in the development of Africa in the digital information age.  

Our solution seeks to strengthen access to affordable primary healthcare to the rural poor in Kenya. In our population of 50 million, for every 10,000 people there are only 2 Doctors, 15 Nurses and Midwifery Personnel, 0.12 Hospitals, and 0.99 Primary Healthcare Units. A bigger percentage are found in urban areas.

The problem of ever rising demand for healthcare was already urgent. Now with covid, people avoid seeking treatment for a further 2 big reasons: they are concerned about lack of social distancing at overwhelmed health facilities, and faced with job losses and dwindling resources, they are postponing expenditure on anything other than food.

Our solution consists of a telemedicine platform that will enable patients to interact with healthcare providers using their mobile phones. Kenya has a high penetration of mobile phones (80%). The country's global leadership in adoption of the use of mobile money is testimony of the populace's willingness and ability to accept innovative service delivery channels. Bringing reliable and high quality healthcare into the pockets of the 40 million Kenyans who own a mobile phone will set the direction towards creation of a sustainable health infrastructure within Kenya. 

Our solution consists of a telemedicine platform that will enable patients to interact with healthcare providers using their mobile phones. Services from basic tele-consultation via sms, to more advanced real-time audio visual interaction will be available. We shall widen access to care by integrating additional services including laboratory investigations (through mobile sample collections), prescriptions, supply and delivery of pharmaceutical provisions, and a wellness service providing advice on all matters health. We shall build capacity and improve access through an equitable healthcare solution that shall cut across all genders, age groups, and income levels, including marginalised minorities.

The service shall have a low monthly fee. Subscribers will have unlimited access to consult with local doctors and will enjoy a discount rate for any laboratory and pharmaceutical expenses that they incur. We shall provide these additional services remotely by use of a mobile sample collection service and delivery of medicines through motorcycle riders. 

Bringing reliable and high quality healthcare into the pockets of the 36 million Kenyans who own a mobile phone will set the direction towards creation of a sustainable health infrastructure within Kenya.

Providing access to effective healthcare to marginalised communities will mitigate the effects of covid 19 and impact development by raising standard of life across the board. The outcomes of better health will include increased household income, through more productive days, a longer life, improved learning, raised GDP, and a higher achievement of development goals.

Our solution focuses on opening access to affordable professional healthcare to a hitherto unreached population. This is in alignment with the Challenge as a measure that strengthens access to affordable primary healthcare, and improvement of healthcare supply chains.   

Our solution's uniqueness lies in the mobile collection of samples for pathology examinations which will mean all interactions will happen at wherever the patients are. Medicines shall also be delivered at the patients remote location. 

We shall implement telemedicine technology, which has been tested in other parts of the world, to schedule appointments and manage patient / doctor interactions. We shall integrate laboratory and pharmaceutical services, and complete the delivery channel through motorcycle riders who can collect and deliver laboratory samples and medicines. 

There is a global trend towards the expansion of tele-health. The adoption of mobile technology is at an all time high and consumers have come to expect convenient access to services and information across all industries - from retail to banking to healthcare. Simultaneously, healthcare needs and corresponding costs are accelerating around the world. $10 trillion is spent on healthcare globally and that figure is expected to double by 2040. Mounting pressure to improve access while controlling costs lends itself to the adoption of virtual care. In the U.S. 70% of consumers are interested in receiving healthcare services virtually. More than 50% of consumers spanning countries such as Brazil, China, Chile and Canada indicate they have or would like to use virtual care1. 73% of Canadians agree virtual care will improve access to healthcare and 71% say it will lead to more timely care2.  Brazil is investing in a project to digitize delivery of healthcare and estimates that savings related to virtual care could cover treatment for an additional 4.3 million patients3. A study in the U.S. found that while just 10% of healthcare consumers have used virtual care today, customer satisfaction ranks among the highest of any consumer category4.

References:

1. https://teladochealth.com/reso...

2. https://www.ahip.org/Virtual-Care-Delivers-Value/

3. https://www.businessgrouphealt...

4. http://go.teladochealth.com/pr...  

Our Theory of Change is that we shall show the rural poor that quality healthcare is not only affordable, but that it is their right to have it and that they can get it at their convenience.  

The benefits shall be evident in raising their productivity and household incomes.  

Currently - 0 

1 Year - 6,000 

5 Years - 10,000,000

We plan to grow by reaching the rural poor by showing them that quality healthcare is not only affordable, but also their right and that they can get it at their convenience.  

We shall run public education campaigns through targeted promotional programs on local radio stations which are the most popular form of mass media. 

We need capital to create and customise an app to enable our online presence. We also require cpital for promotional campaigns through mass radio 

We have a skilled and highly motivated team that has a passion to make healthcare accessible to the majority of our population who do not have any access. 

We hope to raise our capital requirement of $20,000 through grant funding. our Solution shall be self sustaining within the first year and be able to finance it's growth while making it's services even more affordable from revenues generated from operations. 

Full Time Staff - 5 

•  Naomi Mueni (Age 26 years) - Chief Executive Officer

ACCA Certified Accountant

Bachelor of Commerce - Strathmore University (Mgmt Science and Business Administration)

Master of Science - Strathmore Business School (Public Policy and Business Management)  

Naomi is a Business Development Strategist in both Public and Private Sectors. She is experienced in Marketing, Brand Development, Supply Chain and Logistics. She has in-depth understanding of Automation of Business Processes with ERP and SAP.

• Junior Ferdinand  (Age 28 years) - Managing Director

Diploma - Kenya Medical Training College (Medical Imaging Science)

BSc - (Health Systems Management and Development), AMREF International University

Ferdinand is a Professional Medical Imaging and Health Systems Manager. He is well versed in Administrative Procedures in Health Care with competency in Virtual Environment, Teleprescence, and Cross Cultural Diversity and Documentation. 

• Dennis Mukudi (Age 30 years) - Director Hospital & Health Systems  

Diploma - Environmental Health Sciences (Public Health)

Bachelor of Science - Public Health

Public Health Professional / Health & Wellness Coach

Dennis is a passionate Public Health Practitioner. He has worked in remote parts of Kenya and seen first-hand the challenges of lack of access to healthcare in the rural setting. He has researched Machine Learning and Bioinformatics. 

All people require healthcare. Lack of access can be due to unavailability of the services caused by absence of the services, inconvenience to access the services where they are located, and finally, unaffordability of the services. 

Our business model is to bring healthcare to the pockets of the population when they want it, where they are, and at an affordable cost.   

We expect to start of by obtaining a grant of $20,000. 

This amount will enable us to set up and promote our services sufficiently. Consultations will be covered by the monthly subscriptions which we are setting at a price equivalent to purchasing a standard dose of over the counter drugs. The business shall achieve financial sustainability through economies of scale volume sales of pharmaceutical drugs and laboratory investigations.  

It would be a great benefit to be part of your network of peers, funders, and experts as we establish our business with an aim to bring affordable healthcare to Kenya and expand it to the 1 billion plus population across Africa. 

The grant funding will enable us to overcome the gap in our initial funding which is the main barrier that we need to overcome at the onset.

For solution Technology Support: we have a good idea what our app should do. This is a well tested technology in the developed world and it would be great to not have to re-invent the wheel but to adopt a proven model for our launch.    

For funding and revenue modeling partnerships our goal would be similar - adoption of a proven working model.

The ultimate goal of Aquila Health is to use telemedicine to  bring quality healthcare to the whole of Africa. We believe that this technology can reach and serve a population in excess of 100 million people at the very bottom of the pyramid.

Aquila Health shall use The Elevate Prize to set up the necessary infrastructure to be able carry out diagnostics. We would also be able to make economies of scale as we negotiate and stock medical supplies.

We shall accelerate our focus of delivering health services direct to the patients' door by having a dedicated network of riders who can deliver meds and collect pathology samples all around the country.