M-TIBA wins Gold at 2017 Loeries awards

M-TIBA, has emerged winner at the just concluded 2017 Loeries Awards in Durban, South Africa where it received a gold medal in the Shared Value category.

According to The Safaricom Website, The Loeries are Africa and Middle East’s premiere initiative that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the brand communication industry. The Shared Value category recognises brands that profitably deliver value to shareholders, while positively impacting society through their business models and practices.

The M-TIBA digital platform for inclusive healthcare is transforming how people in Kenya are paying for and accessing healthcare.

In June, M-TIBA received the FT/IFC Transformational Business Award in the category Achievement in Sustainable Development, with a focus on Health, Wellness and Disease Prevention.

Kees Van Lede, Chief Executive Officer, CarePay Limited says, “Applying mobile technology to make healthcare more inclusive has increasingly become important in the provision of better healthcare to all Kenyans. The exponential growth of M-TIBA is a clear indication that we are meeting a demand for an essential service that was previously unavailable to many.”

M-TIBA, developed by PharmAccess, Safaricom and CarePay Limited, enables people to save, send, receive and pay money for medical treatment through a mobile health wallet on their phone. The digital platform allows for a more efficient and transparent way of connecting patients, doctors, payers and governments that is based on a constant flow of almost real-time data.

“Our partnership has transformed the lives of over one Million Kenyans by enabling access to better quality healthcare. If we can use the mobile phone for more social good such as promoting basic healthcare services, we will have addressed a significant portion of the social challenges that we face as a country” said Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom in a Press Statement.

Millicent Olulo, Country Director, PharmAccess, concludes, “PharmAccess closely works with the healthcare providers through an integrated approach. This ensures the panel of M-TIBA providers are continuously improving the quality standards being offered at their clinics.”

M-TIBA also provides a platform for healthcare benefits, such as vouchers and insurance. So far, more than ten (international) donor and corporate schemes are running on M-TIBA, including NHIF.

A broad range of public and private partners, including the Dutch government, M-PESA Foundation, Pfizer Foundation, Gilead and the Dutch Postcode Lottery, support M-TIBA.