Selected
Health Security & Pandemics Challenge

Vula Medical

Vula connects health workers with specialists

Team Leader
William Mapham
Vula connects health workers with specialists

The Problem

Developing countries, the majority of the population has limited access to specialised medical services. Specialist medical services are only available in larger cities & often facilities are understaffed. South Africa, there are 11 specialists per 100,000 people compared to 133 in developed countries eg United Kingdom.

The Solution

Vula Medical uses its mobile technology and application ecosystem to solve the problem of communication between health workers and specialists. The Vula Medical eReferral and Chat App connect health workers to the right specialist so the appropriate action is taken for the patient. This results in patients gaining access to specialist medical services, particularly in underserved areas throughout South Africa. Specialists can optimise their time receiving referrals from primary health workers in a structured manner, while health workers can use the referral and communication data to inform strategic decision-making. Giving health workers a digital connection to facilitate referrals capacitates the health service from service delivery at ground level to strategic planning.

Stats

Vula Medical has facilitated referrals for 2.5 million patients.

What is the name of your organization?
Vula Mobile
What is the name of your solution?
Vula Medical
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Vula connects health workers with specialists
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Cape Town
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
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What type of organization is your solution team?
For-Profit
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
Developing countries, the majority of the population has limited access to specialised medical services. Specialist medical services are only available in larger cities & often facilities are understaffed. South Africa, there are 11 specialists per 100,000 people compared to 133 in developed countries eg United Kingdom.
What is your solution?
Vula Medical uses its mobile technology and application ecosystem to solve the problem of communication between health workers and specialists. The Vula Medical eReferral and Chat App connect health workers to the right specialist so the appropriate action is taken for the patient. This results in patients gaining access to specialist medical services, particularly in underserved areas throughout South Africa. Specialists can optimise their time receiving referrals from primary health workers in a structured manner, while health workers can use the referral and communication data to inform strategic decision-making. Giving health workers a digital connection to facilitate referrals capacitates the health service from service delivery at ground level to strategic planning.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Target beneficiary population for impact: people living in rural, remote and underserved areas. Target Vula users: health workers. There are currently 116 types of health worker using Vula, from community health workers, allied health workers, nurses, doctors and including 76 specialties. Target Vula users - primary health workers. They use Vula to make referrals and discuss patients with specialists. They are currently underserved in terms of access to specialist knowledge and services. Target Vula users - specialists: They use Vula to receive referrals and discuss patients with primary health workers. They are currently overwhelmed by many patients attending their clinics who could have been managed remotely. Target Vula users - health administrators: They use Vula to monitor the conversations between health workers in real time for clinical governance as well as using collated information to analyse referral patterns. The health administrators can then make data driven decisions.

Organization Type:
For-Profit

Headquarters:
Cape Town, South Africa

Stage:
Scale

Working In:
South Africa

Solution Website:
https://www.vulamedical.com/

Solution Team:
William Mapham
William Mapham
CEO
Anuschka Coovadia
Anuschka Coovadia
CEO, Usizo Advisory Solutions; Strategic Healthcare Advisor, KPMG; Board member
Anuschka Coovadia
Anuschka Coovadia
Dr