Scaling a Digital Approach to Targeted Malaria Treatment

Private sector pharmacies and clinics are a significant provider of healthcare in many parts of Africa, however, quality care and treatments are often scarce. Patients frequently choose the lowest-cost pathway to treatment, skipping over diagnostic testing and purchasing cheaper, poor-quality options. To increase appropriately targeted care, Maisha Meds developed a digital inventory and sales management platform for pharmacies. The platform includes a voluntary loyalty program allowing Maisha Meds to offer targeted reimbursements to both patients and pharmacists to incentivize using a rapid diagnostic test for malaria, followed by quality antimalarials only for those with a test confirming malaria diagnosis. A randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of the loyalty program on appropriate antimalarial use found a 300 percent increase in appropriate malaria case management compared to the control group; the program significantly increased sales of rapid diagnostic tests and increased the percentage of antimalarials sold with a confirmatory diagnosis while decreasing the number of antimalarials sold without a confirmatory diagnosis. With support from the DIV Fund, Maisha Meds aims to expand its network of pharmacies using the platform to 2,500 additional facilities, serving 400,000 patients through the loyalty program across Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda. The DIV Fund's grant will complement $9 million in funding from the Gates Foundation, resulting in a total of 7,500 facilities and 950,000 patients served, as well as additional support from the WAM Foundation, Livelihoods Impact Fund, and Founders Pledge. In parallel with its work through private pharmacies, Maisha Meds is also partnering with the governments of Nigeria and Uganda to scale delivery through public-sector channels. Through its network expansion, Maisha Meds is working to reduce the cost per patient treated by up to 35 percent, saving patients money and radically improving health outcomes.