What is the name of your organization?
DrDoGood Ltd
What is the name of your solution?
Care Access
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Telehealth for underserved communities
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Accra, Ghana
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Ghana
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
Sub-Saharan Africa, home to over 1.1 billion people, faces a major healthcare access crisis, with nearly 60% living in rural or hard-to-reach areas. In Ghana, over 8 million people, 1 in 3 citizens, lack consistent access to primary care, and 45% of rural residents rely on under-resourced clinics or self-medication. Poor internet connectivity further excludes millions from telemedicine platforms, limiting access to timely and affordable care.
This gap is driven by multiple factors: geographic isolation, with some communities located over 3 hours from the nearest facility; severe shortages of healthcare providers, with doctor-to-patient ratios as high as 1:18,000 in northern Ghana; and low mobile internet penetration, available to just 35% of the population. These challenges, combined with high travel costs and a lack of follow-up systems, lead to delayed treatment, unmanaged chronic illnesses, and higher rates of preventable deaths, especially among pregnant women, the elderly, and people with chronic conditions.
What is your solution?
We have developed a voice-based telehealth system that allows people in remote or low-connectivity areas to speak directly with a doctor or nurse using a simple phone call, no smartphone or internet required. Our solution uses VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology, which runs on basic cellular networks and connects patients to licensed healthcare providers in our network.
When a patient calls our toll-free or subsidized number, they are routed to a triage nurse or doctor who can provide real-time medical advice, prescriptions, follow-up care, and referrals to nearby facilities if needed. The system also enables automated voice reminders for medication and appointments, and allows providers to log visit records in our secure backend system, which is synced with our digital provider platform.
This solution is integrated with DrDoGood’s broader ecosystem of 43 health facilities and 200+ providers across Ghana, allowing for continuity of care even after the call. It brings essential healthcare access to patients in hard-to-reach areas who would otherwise be left out of digital health innovations.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution is designed to directly serve low-income, rural, and digitally excluded populations across Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa, especially the elderly, people with chronic illnesses, pregnant women, and individuals with limited mobility or no internet access. These groups are often underserved by traditional healthcare systems, facing long travel distances, high costs, and limited access to qualified professionals.
By using simple voice calls, our solution bypasses the need for smartphones or mobile data, enabling patients to speak with a licensed healthcare provider from anywhere. This means a mother in a remote village can get antenatal advice, a diabetic patient can receive regular follow-ups, and an elderly person can get medication reminders—all without leaving their home.
We also support community health workers and local clinics, who can use the system to follow up with patients and log vital health data, improving continuity of care. Our goal is to reach over 100,000 patients across Ghana in the next year, and eventually expand across the region, bringing life-saving healthcare to those most often left behind by digital innovation.
