Kenyan E-health startup Maisha Meds hits 1000 active facilities, expands to Nigeria

Kenyan digital pharmacy network Maisha Meds announced it has reached1,000 active facilities, making it one of the largest digital pharmacy networks in sub-Saharan Africa. Maisha Meds was founded in 2017 to provide business management software and reimbursement programs for pharmacies, drug shops and clinics, and patient support via its point-of-sale pharmacy app.

Jessica Vernon, Co-founder and CEO, Maisha Meds: ''Over 350,000 patients walked into one of our tech-enabled pharmacies in the past 30 days alone (with 2.5 million in the last year), and of these 8,300 received clinically appropriate malaria, family planning, and HIV services through our health insurance-style loyalty program. Today is a big milestone for Maisha Meds as our network hits 1,000 facilities utilizing our technology across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria and Zambia. We are building the financial and technology infrastructure to enable global health funders to pay for health outcomes at the last mile, with a focus on malaria case management, injectable contraceptives, prenatal care, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, and COVID testing and vaccination.''

The firm is spread across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria and Zambia. It has reportedly managed to support over 4 million patient encounters annually across its markets with its suite of software products. The free Android-based inventory management software is usable in any clinic, pharmacy or drug shop. It’s built for lo-internet connectivity and therefore supports offline functionalities, making it suitable for semi-urban and rural areas.

Part of the company’s plan is to design an e-commerce platform and credit solutions for pharmacies and clinics to help them access high-quality medications at the best possible prices. The startup is backed by USAID Development Innovation Ventures, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, Pfizer, and others.