Health app

In Kenya, people who need to see a doctor usually visit a clinic. Small and medium-sized hospitals are the main health care providers in the country. But many clinics face major challenges - especially when it comes to resource planning. Paper work, just to name an example, is mostly done manually, leading to unnecessary administrative burdens and high administrative costs. At the same time, drugs are often not available in sufficient quantities. Also misdiagnosis is a common problem.

The IT company MicroClinic Technologies (MCT), headquartered in Nairobi, has now developed an application that offers a solution to these problems. DEG provides funding through co-financing from its up-scaling programme, a programme to promote innovative business models.

The cloud-based management information system called "ZiDi" helps clinic staff improve patient management by storing patient data, calculating treatment costs and enabling electronic invoicing with the health insurance companies. At the same time, quality of diagnostic findings is improved: doctors enter their patients’ symptoms online and the system generates a list of probable diagnoses based on a special algorithm. The app also provides real time tracking of drug stocks to prevent stock-outs.

The app runs on desktops, notebooks and tablets. In addition to the software, MCT also offers full service packages, including hardware, technical support, staff training and a 24-hour hotline service. What is more, MTC employs an innovative payment system: the clinics pay a fixed fee via mobile banking, which varies between 35 and 65 cents per treatment.

In Kenya, nine clinics are currently using the ZiDi app. It is planned to increase this number to 250 by the end of the year.