Without money, no treatment – a Problem in the whole of Africa, many Sick people go not only to the doctor. The project mTOMADY in Madagascar to create with mobile phone savings accounts remedy.
Bebiarisoa is facilitated. The 36-Year-old from Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, has recently brought the twins Rija and Rajo to the world. Both of them are healthy. Without a portable health savings accounts that would not have been possibly be the case. Because after the birth, both children had to be treated first in the hospital. “I couldn’t go to the nearest health center because one of the kids had to go to the birth in the incubator. So I went to the Befelatanana hospital,” says Bebiarisoa. However, for the treatment there, she lacked the money. “I had just 5000 Ariary saved,” she says, equivalent to 1.20 euros. A normal birth costs the nationals, but between 20,000 and 30,000 Ariary. “mTOMADY helped me, the Rest get together”, so Bebiarisoa.
The moderate output was not self-evident. At the time of their last pregnancy Bebiarisoa underwent for the first Time, an ultrasound examination. Although she had previously placed three children into the world, but always she was forced to save costs. Of such situations, the Berlin neurologist Julius Emmrich can sing a song. Emmrich is the Chairman of the Association of Doctors for Madagascar. “If patients in Madagascar are not able to pay their hospital bill, then you will be held so long as hostages until their Relatives come to trigger them,” says Emmrich. “Many are not treated at all, because you can not pay in advance.”
Bebiarisoa with your twins
mTOMADY, a mobile Passbook for health care
Emmrich is several times per year, operations to medical help on the island and knows the situation well. In the same way as his colleague at the Berlin Charité hospital, Samuel Knauss. Both wondered why so little money for health care in Madagascar is available, although international organizations each year, millions of euros for it. “We have found studies that show that 40 to 60 percent of the funds for health care will simply disappear, or for other purposes are spent,” says Knauss. Corruption, mismanagement, lack of infrastructure, reasons for the poor health care in Madagascar and other African countries, there is enough. But how a solution could look like? In the context of the Charité and the Berlin Institute for health research-funded innovation programme, the two physicians began to search for solutions.
With an international Team of Doctors, software developers, business experts and many volunteers, Emmrich and Knauss began a new IT infrastructure for Madagascar, by patients, health centers and donors directly connected to each other. “Health insurance in Madagascar,” says Emmrich. “Many people don’t realise is that just as you should for your health care save.” Because Bank accounts have the fewest Malagasy. To back money home in a stocking, would be too uncertain, because cash can quickly be stolen. In the meanwhile, mTOMADY (Malagasy for healthy), the project wants to give people a safe way to save money for your health care through a mobile wallet for the mobile phone.
Low-Tech, non-bureaucratic assistance
“You don’t have a Smartphone and no Internet connection,” explains Knauss. It is rich in every old cell phone. “Everywhere traders sell, the small scratch-cards. When the buyers enter the exposed Code, you can send the money that is paid directly by mobile phone to our health account.” By your Low-Tech solution by the mobile, each practically in Madagascar, access to the new health account. “Since we started in October, have been paying over 500 Pregnant women money in their health accounts,” says Emmrich. And he is particularly proud of: “Over the health account, we were able to Fund in the meantime, the birth of 20 babies.”
20 births were financed by mTOMADY
The 23-year-old Felana mounted on the 7. January, a little boy to the world. They also took advantage of the mobile Savings account. “I’m not working, my husband is a site Manager. Of mTOMADY I only found out when I was in the ninth month of pregnancy. There were complications, I have made an ultrasound examination. Then I decided to join.” On your own Deposit of 60,000 Ariary, a German Foundation, it struck again half – a grant scheme specifically for Pregnant women as an incentive to participate.
Billing by the health Cloud
Because many patients in Madagascar and other African countries to know in advance how much you are in for a treat having to pay, do not go often prefer not to see a doctor. The danger, to ruin the whole family due to high health care costs, is simply too large. The project, a quality management system for the participating hospitals belong, therefore, in addition to the mobile health account. This is also a cost was introduced in addition to medical quality criteria framework for each treatment. “A cost framework although there have been theoretical before,” says Knauss with a Smile. “Only have a few clinics in mind.”
Many people in Madagascar can’t afford health care
mTOMADY has decided, therefore, not only the collected funds from the mobile health account of the patient to the Bank accounts of the health centers. The doctors check the information, whether the billing is correct and that the cost of treatment in the framework remained. “A Gateway of the mobile service provider sending in Madagascar, the data for the health accounts directly to our billing system in the Internet,” explains Niklas Rieke brauck. “We can manage on our health cloud all payments directly to and treatment consult cost.” The software developer has established the first direct connection between the mobile radio systems in Madagascar and the Internet. “In other countries there are such interfaces already for a long time,” says Rieke brauck. “We were the First to receive approval from the government of Madagascar.”
Hospitals are to benefit from the quality management
For the clinics that work with mTOMADY, the effect according to the project teams clearly felt. “In some cases, the number of births per month increased from 5 to 60, even before our health care account was unlocked,” said Emmrich. A hospital chain have already applied to take part in the mobile savings accounts to participate.
Cooperation: Philipp Sandner