What is the name of your solution?
Dawa Health Network
Provide a one-line summary of your solution.
A network of AI-powered mobile clinics and community health workers decentralizing access to primary healthcare & financial inclusion
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Lusaka, ZambiaIn what country is your solution team headquartered?
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
The problem we are addressing is the significant challenge of reintegrating survivors of modern slavery in Zambia, particularly within slum communities and among refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. Zambia currently hosts close to 100,000 refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, including about 73,000 refugees, 6,000 asylum-seekers, and 18,000 former refugees . The top sources of immigrants and refugees in Zambia include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania, South Africa, Somalia, and Burundi.
Some of these immigrants and refugees face tremendous challenges in rebuilding their lives in the new country of settlement. These challenges include alienation from access to healthcare services, limited access to financial resources, and viable employment opportunities. Moreover, existing organizations providing services to marginalized communities have limited reach, particularly in slum communities where many refugees and forcibly displaced persons reside.
In Zambia, the scale of the problem is considerable. The country's refugee population, which is among the highest in Africa, faces numerous obstacles in accessing basic services. Many live in overcrowded and underserved slum areas where healthcare, education, and employment opportunities are scarce. This environment exacerbates the difficulties faced by survivors of modern slavery, who already contend with the psychological and physical scars of their past experiences.
Globally, the issue of modern slavery and its aftermath affects millions of people. According to the International Labour Organization, there are an estimated 50 million people trapped in modern slavery worldwide, including 25 million in forced labor and 15 million in forced marriages. The lack of effective reintegration programs and support systems means that many survivors remain vulnerable to re-victimization and exploitation.
In Zambia, specific factors contributing to the problem include:
1. Limited Access to Healthcare: Survivors often struggle to access necessary healthcare services, which are crucial for addressing both physical and mental health issues resulting from their experiences in slavery.
2. Financial Insecurity: Many survivors lack access to financial resources and face barriers to securing stable employment. This financial instability hinders their ability to rebuild their lives and achieve economic independence.
3. Insufficient Support for Scalable Solutions: There is a dearth of scalable and tech-focused solutions tailored to the needs of modern slavery survivors. Existing support systems and organizations often lack the capacity to reach and assist all individuals in need, particularly in remote and underserved areas.
4. Challenges in Slum Communities: Slum communities, where many refugees and forcibly displaced persons reside, often lack basic infrastructure and services. This environment makes it even more difficult for survivors to access the support they need to reintegrate successfully.
What is your solution?
Dawa Health is a cutting-edge health-tech platform dedicated to improving access to primary healthcare and financial inclusion in Zambia. Our innovative solution leverages AI, mobile health vans, and last-mile logistics to ensure accessible, quality healthcare and financial services for underserved communities, including slum residents, refugees, and forcibly displaced persons.
Overview of Dawa Health
Dawa Health combines the power of AI, mobile health clinics, and an advanced chatbot to decentralize healthcare and financial services. Through our partners, SPENN, we are enabling financial inclusion of slum residents, refugees, and forcibly displaced persons. We registerer users on SPENN when they seek healthcare services from our mobile clinics, and we pay our CHWs (including forced displaced persons and refugees) through SPENN.
Our solution primarily focuses on three key areas:
1. AI-Powered Ultrasound Scans & Predictive Platform: Utilizing AI technology, our platform offers accessible and accurate ultrasound scans for pregnant women. These scans help identify high-risk pregnancies, such as placenta previa, multiple pregnancies, and breech positions, enabling timely referrals and interventions. Additionally, the predictive platform identifies risk factors like postpartum hemorrhage (bleeding after birth), hypertensive disorders, and cesarian section delivery.
2. Mobile Health Facility: Our mobile clinics, equipped with essential medical equipment and staffed by trained health workers, bring outpatient healthcare services directly to underserved communities. This approach ensures that even the most remote and marginalized areas receive necessary medical support, reducing travel barriers, healthcare exclusion, and associated costs.
3. GenAI Chatbot: The DawaMom platform includes a GenAI-powered chatbot that assists community health workers (CHWs), clinical officers, and patients. The chatbot provides on-demand health information, helps summarize and triage patient cases, and retrieves patient summaries. Additionally, it allows patients to book Dawa Xpress, our last-mile health solution, for the delivery of contraceptives, STD self-test kits, birth kits, and lab sample collections via WhatsApp.
Technology Utilized
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI models analyze ultrasound images to identify high-risk pregnancies, support CHWs and clinical officers in decision-making, and automate responses to patient inquiries.
- Mobile Health Technology: Our outpatients mobile health facilities are equipped with point-of-care kits, the predictive platform, and staffed by trained clinical officers to provide comprehensive healthcare services.
- GenAI Chatbot: Integrated with WhatsApp, our chatbot offers a user-friendly interface for patients to access health services, book appointments, and receive health advice in real time.
Link to Product Demo
- Dawa Health Website
- SPENN Business Account
- Predictive Platform
The Problem We Are Addressing
Dawa Health aims to address the significant challenges faced by survivors of modern slavery in Zambia, especially those within slum communities. These populations often struggle with:
1. Limited Access to Healthcare:
2. Financial Insecurity:
3. Insufficient Support Systems:
Dawa Health’s innovative approach directly addresses these issues by delivering healthcare services to the marginalized communities in need, leveraging advanced technology to overcome barriers, and providing scalable, tech-focused solutions tailored to the needs of modern slavery survivors and other vulnerable populations. Through our comprehensive platform, we aim to empower these communities, improve health outcomes, and foster economic independence and resilience.
How are you ensuring ethical and responsible use of technology in your work, especially if you’re utilizing AI? How are you addressing or mitigating potential risks in your solution?
Ethical Approval and Compliance
Dawa Health is committed to the ethical and responsible use of technology, particularly in the application of AI for healthcare services. We have secured ethical clearance from the National Health Research Authority (NHRA) in Zambia to conduct human research and to test our AI technology. This approval ensures that our research adheres to national ethical standards and protects the rights and well-being of participants.
Data Privacy and Security
To safeguard the privacy and security of patient data, we have implemented robust data protection measures in compliance with international standards, such as the Information Security Management System (ISMS) based on ISO/IEC 27001. Key elements of our data privacy and security strategy include:
1. Data Encryption: All patient data is encrypted both in transit and at rest to prevent unauthorized access.
2. Access Control: We use role-based access control to ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive information.
3. Anonymization: Personal identifiers are removed or anonymized in datasets used for AI training and analysis to protect patient confidentiality.
4. Regular Audits: We conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify and mitigate potential risks.
Ethical Use of AI
The deployment of AI in healthcare poses unique ethical challenges, which we address through the following measures:
1. Bias Mitigation: We employ diverse training datasets to minimize bias in AI models and ensure fair and accurate predictions across different demographic groups. Additionally, we are creating a big local dataset to enable localization on the datasets.
2. Transparency: Our AI algorithms and decision-making processes are designed to be transparent, providing clear explanations of how decisions are made.
3. Human Oversight: AI-generated recommendations are always reviewed by qualified healthcare professionals before any clinical decisions are made, ensuring that human judgment is the final arbiter.
Risk Assessment and Mitigation
To proactively address potential risks associated with our technology, we conduct comprehensive risk assessments focusing on various aspects:
1. Privacy and Security Risks:
- Mitigation: Implementing encryption, access control, and regular security audits as detailed above.
2. Ethical Risks:
- Mitigation: Ensuring transparency, human oversight, and bias mitigation in AI operations.
3. Operational Risks:
- Mitigation: Training healthcare workers extensively on the proper use of technology to reduce errors and ensure efficient operation.
Ethical Training and Education
We provide ongoing ethical training for our team members and healthcare partners to ensure a deep understanding of the ethical implications of using AI in healthcare. This training includes:
1. Workshops and Seminars: Regular sessions on ethical AI practices, patient privacy, and data security.
2. Technical Working Groups at Ministry of Health: Establishing relationships and guidance from technical working groups and ethics committees at Ministry of Health to oversee research and technology deployment, ensuring adherence to ethical standards.
Dawa Health is deeply committed to ensuring the ethical and responsible use of AI and other technologies in our healthcare solutions. By securing ethical clearance from NHRA, implementing robust data privacy measures, addressing potential biases, and maintaining transparency and human oversight, we mitigate the risks associated with our technology.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Dawa Health is dedicated to improving the lives of several underserved groups in Zambia, with a particular focus on:
1. Pregnant Women and New Mothers:
- Demographics: Primarily adolescent girls and young women in marginalized and slum areas.
- Challenges: High maternal mortality rates, limited access to prenatal and postnatal care, and a lack of reproductive health services.
2. Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Clinical Officers:
- Demographics: Undervalued and underemployed health workers in slum and underserved communities.
- Challenges: Limited training, resources, and opportunities to provide comprehensive care.
3. Children and Infants:
- Demographics: Newborns and children under five, particularly in slum areas.
- Challenges: High infant mortality rates, limited access to vaccinations, and essential health services.
4. General Population in Remote Areas:
- Demographics: Men and women with Non-communicable and mental health problems in slum and underserved areas.
- Challenges: Limited access to healthcare services, high prevalence of untreated medical conditions, and lack of healthcare infrastructure.
Current Underserved Needs
1. Healthcare Access:
- Many communities lack nearby healthcare facilities and healthcare alienation for displaced populations, resulting in long travel distances and inaccessible basic medical care.
- Limited healthcare resources and personnel mean that many health conditions go undiagnosed and untreated.
2. Financial Inclusion
- High rates of financial exclusion for marginalized communities especially refugees and displaced populations
- Insufficient access employment opportunities and financial resources for populations of modern day slavery
3. Economic Barriers:
- Financial constraints prevent many individuals from seeking necessary medical care.
- Limited employment opportunities for refugees and displaced populations in slum areas.
How the Solution Addresses Their Needs
1. Dawa Health Network Platform:
- Function: An AI-powered mobile health platform that provides prenatal and postnatal care, reproductive health services, and health education.
- Impact: Ensures timely and accessible healthcare for pregnant women and new mothers, reducing maternal and infant mortality rates.
2. Community Health Workers and Clinical Officers:
- Support: Training programs and point-of-care kits to empower CHWs and clinical officers to provide comprehensive care.
- Impact: Enhances the skills and employment opportunities for health workers, enabling them to serve their communities more effectively.
3. Dawa Xpress:
- Function: A last-mile delivery service using motorbikes to provide essential medical supplies, such as contraceptives, STI self-test kits, and birth kits.
- Impact: Ensures that remote and underserved populations have access to critical health supplies, improving overall health outcomes.
4. SPENN
- Function: Utilizes a platform that has peer-to-peer financial sharing and business-to-peer solution to pay CHWs and health workers from a centralized source.
- Impact: Provides financial inclusions for the formerly unbanked with minimum KYC requirements and utilizing technology.
5. Economic Empowerment:
- Revenue-Sharing Model: Health workers and CHWs earn income through consultation fees and commissions for lab & patient referrals.
- Impact: Provides financial stability and incentivizes health workers to continue serving their communities.
Conclusion
Dawa Health's solution directly addresses the healthcare needs of underserved populations in Zambia by providing accessible, comprehensive, and timely health and financial services.
How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
Our team is exceptionally well-positioned to design and deliver the Dawa Health Network solution to the target population for several compelling reasons:
Proximity to the Communities: Our Team Lead and key team members have a close connection to the communities we are serving. We have been actively engaged with slum communities in Lusaka, Zambia, where we piloted this solution from 2021 to 2023. This hands-on experience allowed us to gain invaluable insights into the challenges and specific needs of the community members.
Community-Centered Approach: The design and implementation of our solution are intrinsically tied to the communities we serve. We've made concerted efforts to understand the needs of the target population by actively engaging with community members, users, and healthcare providers. Their input has been instrumental in shaping the development of the Dawa Health Network solution. We have conducted surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions to ensure that their ideas and agendas are meaningfully incorporated into our solution.
Feedback-Driven Development: During the piloting phase, we received extensive feedback from users and clinicians who utilized the service. This iterative feedback process helped us identify gaps in the existing maternal health and SRHR value chain, understand the unique challenges faced by the community, and refine our solution accordingly.
Diverse Team Composition: Our team is composed of a diverse set of individuals with expertise in various fields, including public health specialists, medical doctors, medical licentiates, clinical officers, business and finance experts, and software programmers. This diversity ensures that our solution is well-rounded, addressing the complex, multifaceted issues related to SRHR in a comprehensive manner.
Community Representation: Our Team Lead and several team members are representative of the communities we serve. This representation is essential in understanding the cultural, social, and economic nuances of these communities. It also helps build trust and rapport with community members, ensuring that the solution is culturally sensitive and well-received.
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
Strengthening the ecosystem of providers by enhancing efficiencies in communication, data collection and sharing, and coordinationWhich of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
What is your solution’s stage of development?
GrowthWhy are you applying to the Challenge?
Dawa Health is applying to the Challenge to overcome key barriers that hinder our ability to scale and deepen our impact primary healthcare and financial inclusion in Zambia and beyond. This Challenge presents an opportunity to access essential resources, expertise, and networks that can propel our growth and help us address significant obstacles.
Financial Barriers
1. Scaling Operations:
- We seek funding to expand our operations, including the deployment of more mobile health units and the training of additional Community Health Workers (CHWs) and clinical officers.
- Financial support will enable us to procure more point-of-care kits and motorbikes for Dawa Xpress, thereby increasing our reach to underserved populations.
2. Research and Development:
- We need resources to continue developing and refining our AI-powered solutions, including the predictive models that assist in triaging, summarizing, and retrieving patient information.
- Investment in R&D will help us enhance the accuracy and reliability of our AI tools, ensuring they remain effective and user-friendly.
Market Barriers
1. Market Penetration:
- Expanding our market presence requires strategic partnerships and market insights. The Challenge can facilitate connections with potential partners, investors, and healthcare networks.
- Access to market data and analysis will help us identify new opportunities and refine our market entry strategies.
Support from the Challenge
1. Funding and Investment:
- The financial support from the Challenge will enable us to scale our operations, enhance our technology, and reach more beneficiaries.
2. Technical Expertise:
- Access to technical experts in AI, healthcare, and data security will help us overcome the technological barriers we face.
3. Legal and Regulatory Guidance:
- Legal support will ensure we navigate the regulatory landscape effectively and comply with all necessary health and technology regulations.
4. Network and Partnerships:
- The Challenge’s network of partners and stakeholders will provide valuable connections and opportunities for collaboration.
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
Who is the Team Lead for your solution?
Progress Mahureva
What makes your solution innovative?
Dawa Health offers a transformative approach to maternal, child, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Zambia. Our innovative solution leverages advanced technology, decentralization, and community engagement to address critical healthcare challenges, particularly in underserved areas. Here’s what sets Dawa Health apart:
1. Integration of AI-Powered Technology
- AI-Powered Ultrasound Scans: Our platform uses artificial intelligence to enhance the accuracy of ultrasound scans. This innovation helps identify high-risk pregnancies, such as placenta previa and breech positions, early, enabling timely interventions.
- GenAI-Chatbot: The GenAI-chatbot assists CHWs, clinical officers, and patients by summarizing, triaging, and retrieving patient information from the DawaMom platform through WhatsApp. This feature supports vernacular inquiries, making it accessible to a broader population.
- Predictive Models: Our AI models analyze various maternal and fetal variables to predict complications like postpartum hemorrhage and obstructed labor. This capability empowers first-level clinicians to make informed decisions and prioritize critical cases.
2. Decentralized and Community-Based Healthcare
- Mobile Health Units: Dawa Health deploys mobile health facilities equipped with point-of-care kits. These units bring essential healthcare services directly to remote and underserved communities, overcoming infrastructure limitations.
- Empowerment of Health Workers: We provide a six-week training program for clinical officers, transforming them into health entrepreneurs. This initiative not only enhances their skills but also fosters economic independence through a revenue-sharing model.
3. Innovative Logistics with Dawa Xpress
- Motorbike Delivery System: Dawa Xpress utilizes motorbikes to deliver contraceptives, STI self-test kits, birth kits, and other essential medical supplies to hard-to-reach areas. This last-mile delivery system bridges the logistics gap and ensures timely access to critical health commodities.
- Seamless Booking via WhatsApp: Patients can easily book Dawa Xpress services through WhatsApp, simplifying the process and making it accessible even in low-resource settings.
4. Data-Driven Decision Making
- Comprehensive Data Collection: Our platform continuously collects and analyzes data to improve healthcare delivery. This data-driven approach enables us to refine our services, track health outcomes, and respond to emerging health trends effectively.
- Local Insights: By engaging with local communities and health workers, we ensure that our solutions are culturally sensitive and tailored to the specific needs of the population.
Catalyzing Broader Positive Impacts
- Scalability and Replicability: Our model is designed to be scalable and replicable across other low and middle-income countries facing similar healthcare challenges. By demonstrating success in Zambia, we can inspire broader adoption of technology-driven, community-based healthcare solutions.
- Encouraging Innovation: Our approach encourages other healthcare providers and innovators to explore AI and mobile health technologies. This can lead to a broader shift towards technology-driven healthcare solutions, improving health outcomes on a larger scale.
- Policy Influence: By providing empirical evidence of the effectiveness of our solutions, we can influence healthcare policies and advocate for greater investment in digital health and community-based care.
Describe in simple terms how and why you expect your solution to have an impact on the problem.
1. Problem Statement
Zambia faces significant healthcare and financial inclusion challenges, particularly in maternal, child, and SRHR health. Additionally, Zambia has a significant refugee and displaced people who are at risk of being modern day slavery. Economic constraints, inadequate healthcare and financial infrastructure, and limited access to services, especially in slum areas, contribute to high mortality rates and poor health outcomes.
2. Activities
- AI-Powered Ultrasound Scans: Implement AI technology to enhance the accuracy and early detection of high-risk pregnancies.
- GenAI-Chatbot on WhatsApp: Deploy a GenAI-chatbot to assist CHWs, clinical officers, and patients in summarizing, triaging, and retrieving patient information.
- Mobile Health Clinics: Operate mobile health units equipped with point-of-care kits to deliver healthcare services to remote communities.
- Training for Clinical Officers: Provide a six-week training program for clinical officers to transform them into health entrepreneurs and enhance community-based healthcare delivery.
- Dawa Xpress Logistics: Use motorbikes for last-mile delivery of essential medical supplies such as contraceptives, STI self-test kits, and birth kits.
- SPENN-Dawa Financial Inclusion: Continuously support last-mile financial inclusion of marginalized communities through the Open-air clinics.
3. Immediate Outputs
- Improved Diagnostic Accuracy: AI technology enables early detection of high-risk pregnancies, leading to timely medical interventions.
- Enhanced Health Information Access: The GenAI-chatbot provides accessible health information and support through WhatsApp, improving health literacy.
- Increased Healthcare Reach: Mobile health units bring essential services to underserved areas, increasing access to healthcare.
- Empowered Health Workers and CHWs: Trained clinical officers and referall CHWs (displaced populations) enhance the quality of community-based healthcare services.
- Timely Delivery of Medical Supplies: Efficient logistics ensure timely access to critical health commodities in marginalized areas.
4. Longer-Term Outcomes
- Reduced Maternal Mortality: Early detection and timely interventions for high-risk pregnancies lead to a decrease in maternal deaths.
- Improved Health Outcomes: Increased access to healthcare and accurate health information improves overall health outcomes marginalized communities
- Economic Empowerment: Health workers and CHWs from displaced populations gain financial stability through the revenue-sharing model, promoting economic growth in their communities.
- Strengthened Healthcare System: Continuous data collection and analysis drive improvements in healthcare delivery and inform policy decisions.
- Scalable and Sustainable Model: The success of Dawa Health’s approach in Zambia can be replicated in other low and middle-income countries, promoting sustainable healthcare solutions globally.
5. Logical Links Between Activities, Outputs, and Outcomes
- Activities to Outputs: Implementing AI technology, deploying chatbots, operating mobile clinics, training health workers, and ensuring timely delivery of medical supplies directly lead to improved diagnostic accuracy, increased healthcare reach, and empowered health workers.
- Outputs to Outcomes: Improved diagnostic accuracy and healthcare reach result in better health outcomes, reduced maternal mortality, and economic empowerment for health workers. Continuous data collection supports ongoing improvements and scalability.
What are your impact goals for your solution and how are you measuring your progress towards them?
1. Reduction in Maternal Mortality
Impact Goal: Decrease the maternal mortality rate in Zambia, particularly in underserved slum areas.
Measurement Indicators:
- Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): Track the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in trial population.
- Number of High-Risk Pregnancies Detected Early: Monitor the number of high-risk pregnancies identified through AI-powered ultrasound scans and referred for appropriate medical care.
- Timeliness of Medical Interventions: Measure the time from high-risk pregnancy detection to the receipt of medical intervention.
2. Improved Access to Healthcare Services
Impact Goal: Enhance access to NCD, child, and SRHR healthcare services in slum and underserved communities.
Measurement Indicators:
- Number of Adults and Children Served: Record the number of adults and children receiving healthcare services through Dawa Health Network and mobile health clinics.
- Healthcare Reach: Track the geographical coverage of mobile health clinics and the number of remote communities served.
- Usage of GenAI-Chatbot: Monitor the number of interactions and queries handled by the GenAI-chatbot on WhatsApp, indicating increased access to health information.
3. Empowerment of Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Clinical Officers
Impact Goal: Empower CHWs and clinical officers with training and resources to improve community-based healthcare delivery.
Measurement Indicators:
- Number of Health Workers Trained: Track the number of CHWs and clinical officers who complete the six-week training program.
- Job Satisfaction and Retention Rates: Measure job satisfaction levels and retention rates among trained health workers.
- Financial Stability: Monitor the income levels and economic stability of health workers participating in the revenue-sharing model.
4. Enhanced Health Outcomes
Impact Goal: Improve overall health outcomes for mothers, children, and adolescents in target communities.
Measurement Indicators:
- Health Metrics: Track key health indicators such as rates of prenatal care visits, birth outcomes, and incidence of pregnancy-related complications.
- Contraceptive Use: Measure the uptake and consistent use of contraceptives provided through Dawa Xpress.
- Reduction in STI Rates: Monitor the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among adolescents and young adults using STI self-test kits.
5. Data-Driven Healthcare Improvements
Impact Goal: Utilize data collection and analysis to drive continuous improvements in healthcare delivery.
Measurement Indicators:
- Data Quality and Completeness: Assess the quality and completeness of health data collected from mobile clinics and AI-powered tools.
- Decision-Making and Policy Impact: Evaluate the use of data insights in informing healthcare policies and decision-making processes.
- Research Publications: Track the number of research studies and publications generated from the collected data, contributing to the global knowledge base.
Measuring Progress
- Regular Monitoring and Evaluation: Implement a robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework to regularly track progress against the defined indicators.
- Surveys and Feedback Mechanisms: Conduct surveys and gather feedback from healthcare recipients and health workers to assess the effectiveness and impact of services.
- Data Analytics and Reporting: Utilize advanced data analytics tools to analyze collected data and generate comprehensive reports on progress and outcomes.
- Partnerships and Collaborations: Engage with partners, including academic institutions and research organizations, to validate findings and ensure the accuracy of impact measurements.
Describe the core technology that powers your solution.
Core Technology Powering Dawa HealthDawa Health is at the forefront of integrating advanced technology to address critical maternal, child, and sexual & reproductive health, and financial inclusion challenges in Zambia. The core technologies powering our solution include:
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)Dawa Health utilizes AI and ML to enhance healthcare delivery through several innovative applications:
- AI-Powered Ultrasound Scans: Our platform leverages AI algorithms to analyze ultrasound images, identifying high-risk pregnancies such as placenta previa, multiple pregnancies, and breech positions. This early detection capability allows for timely medical interventions, potentially saving lives.
- GenAI-Chatbot: A generative AI chatbot is deployed on the DawaMom platform, accessible via WhatsApp. This chatbot can summarize, triage, and retrieve patient summaries, providing instant health advice and support. It addresses vernacular inquiries, making healthcare information accessible to non-English speaking populations.
- Predictive Analytics: AI models analyze data to predict and identify potential high-risk pregnancies, enabling proactive healthcare measures. These models focus on conditions like postpartum hemorrhage and obstructed labor (cephalic-pelvic disproportion), using multiple maternal and fetal variables for accurate predictions.
Dawa Health employs mobile health (mHealth) solutions to extend healthcare services to remote and underserved areas:
- DawaMom Mobile App: This app facilitates on-demand healthcare services, connecting patients with community health workers (CHWs) and clinical officers. It provides a platform for health workers to offer consultations, monitor patient health, and deliver essential health information.
- Mobile Clinics: Equipped with point-of-care kits, these mobile clinics provide decentralized healthcare services, including ultrasound scans, vaccinations, and primary healthcare. They are designed to reach communities with limited access to healthcare facilities.
Telemedicine solutions bridge the gap between patients and healthcare providers, particularly in remote areas:
- Remote Consultations: Patients can consult with clinical officers and specialists via the DawaMom platform, reducing the need for travel and enabling continuous care.
- Remote Monitoring: The platform allows for continuous monitoring of patient health, particularly for expectant and nursing mothers. Health data collected through the app is analyzed to provide personalized healthcare recommendations.
Dawa Xpress is our innovative logistics solution, addressing the challenge of delivering healthcare supplies to remote areas:
- Motorbike Delivery: Dawa Xpress employs motorbikes to deliver contraceptives, condoms, STI self-test kits, birth kits, and other essential medical supplies to the most affected population groups. This method ensures timely and reliable delivery, overcoming infrastructure challenges.
- Real-Time Tracking: The logistics system includes real-time tracking and monitoring of deliveries, ensuring accountability and efficiency in the supply chain.
Ensuring the ethical and responsible use of technology is paramount:
- Data Privacy ISOC: Our platform adheres to strict data privacy standards, protecting patient information and maintaining confidentiality.
- Ethical Clearance: Dawa Health has received ethical clearance from the National Health Research Authority (NHRA) of Zambia to conduct human research and test AI technologies, ensuring compliance with national and international ethical guidelines.
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new business model or process that relies on technology to be successful
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
If your solution has a website, app, or social media handle, provide the link(s) here:
https://dawa-health.com
In which countries do you currently operate?
Which, if any, additional countries will you be operating in within the next year?
How many people work on your solution team?
We have a full-time team of 9 people that supports 20 field clinicians, with 150 on the waitlist
How long have you been working on your solution?
3 years
Tell us about how you ensure that your team is diverse, minimizes barriers to opportunity for staff, and provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for all team members.
Incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity into our work is fundamental to our approach in addressing the critical issue of primary healthcare and financial inclusion in marginalized communities. We recognize that to effectively serve these communities, we must reflect diversity within our own team and uphold values of equity and inclusivity. Here is our approach:
Diversity in Leadership Team:
Our management and advisory team is committed to promoting diversity in both genders and backgrounds. We have team members with diverse cultural, gender, and educational backgrounds. This diversity enables us to understand the unique needs and perspectives of the communities we serve.
Team's Goals for Becoming More Diverse:
We have set clear goals for becoming more diverse, equitable, and inclusive in our work:
Gender Equality: We are actively working to ensure gender equality within our team, and we are committed to having a balanced representation of women and men in leadership positions.
Cultural Diversity: We aim to enhance cultural diversity within our team by recruiting members from various cultural backgrounds since Zambia has over 72 ethnic groups. This will allow us to better understand the diverse needs of our target communities.
Equitable Employment Practices: Our team is dedicated to ensuring equitable employment practices, which means providing equal opportunities for advancement and leadership roles within the organization, regardless of gender, cultural background, or other characteristics.
Actions Taken:
We have taken several actions to achieve our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals:
Recruitment and Hiring: We actively seek diverse talent when recruiting for new positions, ensuring that we have a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives within the organization.
Diverse Partnerships: We actively seek partnerships with organizations and individuals who bring diverse perspectives and expertise to our work. This includes collaborating with community-based organizations that understand the unique needs of the communities we serve.
Inclusive Decision-Making: We foster an inclusive decision-making process within the organization. This means that diverse perspectives are valued and considered when making strategic and operational decisions.
Cultural Sensitivity: We provide cultural sensitivity training to our team members to ensure that our interactions with the communities we serve are respectful and culturally sensitive.
Community Engagement: We actively engage with the communities we serve, listening to their feedback and concerns. This approach ensures that their voices are heard and incorporated into our solution's design and implementation.
What is your business model?
Our business model is centered around providing valuable services to the populations we serve, with a dual focus on creating impact and generating revenue. Our key customers and beneficiaries include marginalized communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, specifically adolescents, women of reproductive age, and underserved populations.
Products and Services:
AI-Powered Ultrasound Scans: We offer AI-powered ultrasound scans through our partnership with Delft. These scans are essential for monitoring maternal health during pregnancy and ensuring the well-being of both mothers and babies.
Birthkits with Flexible Payment Packages: We provide birthkits to expectant mothers, which include essential supplies for safe and hygienic deliveries. Our innovative approach includes flexible payment packages to ensure affordability for our customers.
Point-of-Care Tests: We offer point-of-care tests, such as Hemoglobin (Hb) level and urinalysis tests. These tests are conducted in real time, enabling immediate clinical decisions and improving healthcare outcomes.
Laboratory Tests: Through partnerships with pathology labs, we facilitate various laboratory tests, ensuring accurate diagnostics and timely treatment for patients.
Mobile Clinic Van Outpatient Services: Our mobile clinic vans serve as outpatient clinics, providing a range of healthcare services, including maternal and child healthcare, family planning, and general healthcare check-ups. These vans are equipped with healthcare professionals and the necessary equipment to deliver services directly to the communities we serve.
Why They Want or Need Our Services:
Our customers and beneficiaries, including adolescents, women of reproductive age, and underserved populations, want and need our services for several reasons:
Accessibility: Our mobile clinic vans and innovative service delivery models improve accessibility to essential healthcare services, reducing the barriers of distance and transportation that often limit access.
Affordability: Our flexible payment packages and affordable pricing ensure that our services are accessible to individuals with limited financial resources.
Quality Healthcare: We provide high-quality healthcare services, including diagnostics and point-of-care tests, which are essential for maternal and child health.
Convenience: By bringing healthcare services directly to their doorstep, we offer convenience to our customers, saving them time and effort.
Health Outcomes: Our services directly impact health outcomes by providing timely diagnostics, ensuring safe deliveries through birth kits, and offering comprehensive maternal and child healthcare.
Our business model is designed to balance the social impact of improving healthcare in underserved communities with financial sustainability. We generate revenue by charging for some services while seeking support from philanthropic organizations and partnerships to fund services that directly benefit marginalized populations. This dual approach allows us to create both societal and economic value in our mission to address critical healthcare challenges.
Do you primarily provide products or services directly to individuals, to other organizations, or to the government?
Individual consumers or stakeholders (B2C)What is your plan for becoming financially sustainable, and what evidence can you provide that this plan has been successful so far?
Our plan for becoming financially sustainable involves a multi-faceted approach that combines various sources of funding to cover our expected expenses. In the short term, we are leveraging patient impact capital, including grants, to build infrastructure and create evidence of the impact of our services. However, in the long term, our strategy encompasses raising equity investment and potentially securing credit line loans. Our revenue streams will primarily come from the following sources:
Revenues: We anticipate a significant portion of our revenue to come from the fees we charge for providing healthcare services and medical tests. This revenue stream is integral to covering our operational and service delivery costs.
Service Contracts with Governments: Establishing service contracts with government healthcare agencies like the UN agencies is a key component of our financial sustainability plan. These contracts involve providing essential healthcare services, including maternal and child healthcare, point-of-care tests, and laboratory diagnostics, to underserved populations. By collaborating with governments, we aim to secure stable, long-term revenue streams.
Insurance Claims: We plan to work with insurance providers to facilitate claims for our healthcare services. This involves partnering with insurance companies to offer healthcare packages that include our services. This not only expands our reach but also provides a reliable source of revenue.
Equity Investment: In the long term, we intend to raise equity investment from impact investors, venture capital firms, and organizations aligned with our mission. Equity investments will allow us to scale our operations, reach more communities, and further enhance our impact.
Credit Line Loans: To support our growth and expansion, we may explore credit line loans from financial institutions and impact-focused lenders. These loans can provide the necessary working capital and funds for scaling our services.
By diversifying our sources of revenue and aligning them with our mission, we aim to ensure the financial sustainability of our operations. This approach will enable us to continue providing critical healthcare services to underserved populations while covering our operational expenses and expanding our impact in the long term.
Solution Team
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DH
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Mr Progress Success Mahureva Chief operations officer , Dawa health
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TM
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Tafadzwa Munzwa MD Co-founder & CEO, Dawa Health
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Our Organization
Dawa Clinic Limited